j     LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
3NIA 

.GO 


OLD  ABE, 


fllPUTH  WTCPflKMM  WilB 

Mbii      WIMUDIMN  WAii 


A  FULL  ACCOUNT  OF  HIS  CAPTURE  AND  ENLISTMENT,  EX- 
PLOITS IN  WAR  AND  HONORABLE  AS  WELL  AS 
USEFUL  CAREER  IN  PEACE. 


WITH    AN    APPENDIX, 

O 


} 

By  F.  A.  F. 


MADISON,    WIS. 

CURRAN  AND  BOWEN. 

1885. 


Copyright,  1885,  by  JOHN  \\.  CCRRAN,  of  the  5th  Wisconsin,  and 
EUGENE  BOWEN,  of  the  92d  New  York. 


CRAMER,  AIKENS  &  CRAMER, 

Printers  and  Stereotypers, 

Milwaukee,  Wis. 


NOTE. 

HTHIS  little  volume,  concerning  the  most  famous  bird  of 
. .  ancient  or  modern  times,  was  not  written  for  display 
or  fame. 

It  was  prepared  to  furnish  a  means  whereby  a  few  veter- 
ans, maimed  in  the  service  of  their  country,  might  turn  an 
honest  penny. 

It  contains,  as  far  as  the  author  knows  and  believes,  noth- 
ing false  or  discolored;  and,  though  humble,  forms  as  unde- 
niably a  part  of  the  history  of  the  Eebellion  as  the  doings  of 

Grant  or  Sherman. 

F.  A.  F. 

MADISON,  Wis.,  May,  1885. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  Page. 

THE  EAGLE'S  ANCIENT  FAME,     ....  ....       7 

CHAPTER  II. 
CAPTURE  AND  EARLY  LIFE  OF  OLD  ABE, 10 

CHAPTER  III. 
IN  THE  SERVICE,     ....  15 

CHAPTER  IV. 

ON  TO  THE  FRONT,         -  18 

CHAPTER  V. 

CONDUCT  IN  BATTLE,      -       -  23 

CHAPTER  VI. 
ANTICS  IN  CAMP, 26 

CHAPTER  VII. 

CORINTH  AND  OTHER  BATTLES,     -  30 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  CAMPAIGN  IN  TENNESSEE  AND  MISSISSIPPI,  34 

CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  SIEGE  OF  VICKSBURG,    -  40 

CHAPTER  X. 
THE  RED  RIVER  AND  OTHER  EXPEDITIONS,  .  43 

CHAPTER  XI. 
OLD  ABE  AT  HOME  ON  A  FURLOUGH,  47 

CHAPTER  XII. 
RETURNING  TO  THE  FRONT,  -  -       -      50 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

MUSTERED  OUT  ;  WAR  REMINISCENCES,  55 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
THE  WAYS  OF  PEACE  ;  NORTHWESTERN  SANITARY  FAIR,  60 

CHAPTER  XV. 
MILWAUKEE  SOLDIERS'  HOME  AND  SOLDIERS'  ORPHANS'  HOME,    -       -     64 


6  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XVI.  Pose. 

PITTSBURGH  AND  PEOKIA  GATHERINGS,             •  -     68 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

OLD  ABE  NOMINATES  GRANT  FOR  PRESIDENT,  -  -       -     71 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CELEBRATIONS  AND  REUNIONS,     -  73 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

AT  THE  CENTENNIAL,      -  -77 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Two  MONTHS  IN  BOSTON, 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

MORE  REUNIONS  ;  THE  GRANT  BANQUET,  -    .  -  -     85 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

OLD  ABE'S  SEMI-TRAGIC  DEATH,  -  90 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

ANECDOTES  AND  CHARACTERISTICS,     -  97 

APPENDIX. 

OLD  ABE'S  BATTLES, -       -         101 

His  ATTENDANTS  IN  WAR, -105 

His  ATTENDANTS  IN  PEACE, 105 

TROOPS  IN  THE  UNION  ARMY,  WITH  BOUNTIES  BY  STATES,  -    106 

CASUALTIES, ...         108 

(i  EN  K  HALS  OF  THE   AllMY, -           -           -      103 

STATISTICS  OF  THE  REGULAR  ARMY,  1789-1879,    -  109 

HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  FLAG,     ....  ...    100 

CHRONOLOGICAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  REBELLION,    -  117 

MARCHING  THROUGH  GEORGIA,    -  -    170 

SHERMAN'S  MARCH  TO  THE  SEA, -         171 

SHERIDAN'S  RIDE, -       -    172 

OLD  ABE  AT  CORINTH, -                173 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 

OLD  ABE,      -       -  Frontispiece 

r.  s.  GRANT, ...     53 

A\'M.  T.  SHERMAN, ...         95 

PHILIP  H.  SHERIDAN,      ....  -    137 


OLD  ABE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  EAGLE'S  ANCIENT  FAME. 

"Ah!  that  Eagle  of  Freedom!  when  cloud  upon  cloud 
Swathed  the  sky  of  my  own  native  land  with  a  shroud — 
When  lightnings  gleamed  fiercely  and  thunderbolts  rung, 
How  proud  to  the  tempest  those  pinions  were  flung  ! 
Though  the  wild  blast  of  battle  swept  swiftly  the  air 
With  darkness  and  dread,  still  the  Eagle  was  there. 
I'nquailing  and  towering,  his  high  flight  was  on, 
Till  the  Rainbow  of  Peace  crowned  the  victory  won." 

THE  eagle  had  been  the  emblem  of  nations,  courts 
and  warriors  for  centuries  before  America  was  even 
discovered;  so  in  painting  him  on  our  banners  and  grav- 
ing him  on  our  shields  and  coins  as  heraldic  of  freedom, 
fearlessness  and  power,  we  but  acted  the  part  of  imita- 
tors. 

Nevertheless,  we  can  hardly  be  classed  any  longer  as 
imitators,  for  the  eagle  is  now  as  distinctively  our  own 
representative  of  spirit  and  valor  as  the  lion  is  of  Brit- 
ish bravery  and  strength,  although  he  is  also  found  on 
the  insignia  of  other  nations. 

And  as  the  nations  of  the  world  now  rank,  this  is  well; 
for  as  the  lion  is  king  of  beasts,  so  the  eagle  is  king  of 
birds.  Homer  called  him  "  the  strong  sovereign  of  the 
plumy  race,"  and  another  has  written  :  "  The  banner  of 
the  tribe  of  Dan,  borne  by  Prince  Ahiezer,  was  of  a 
bright  green  color,  charged  with  an  eagle  as  a  component 

(2)  7 


8         OLD   ABE,   THE   EIGHTH    WISCONSIN    WAR   EAGLE. 

part  of  the  cherubim,  denoting  wisdom  and  sublimity. 
The  eagle  was  considered  to  be  the  symbol  of  Daniel, 
because  he  spoke  with  angels  and  received  visions  which 
relate  to  all  time;  of  Christ,  because  of  his  divine 
nature;  of  John  the  Evangelist,  because  he  soars  to 
Heaven  in  the  Revelations." 

The  eagles  of  the  Roman  legions  are  familiar  in  his- 
tory, but  Xenophon  says  the  golden  eagle,  with  extended 
wings,  was  the  ensign  of  the  Persian  monarchs  long 
before  it  was  adopted  by  the  Romans.  He  also  declares 
that  "  it  is  probable  the  Persians  borrowed  the  symbol 
from  the  Assyrians,  on  whose  banners  it  waved  till 
imperial  Babylon  bowed  her  head  to  the  yoke  of 
Cyrus." 

The  Romans  had  for  their  earliest  military  standards 
the  eagle,  the  boar,  the  horse  and  the  minotaur,  but  soon 
abandoned  all  but  the  first.  The  Etruscans  adopted  the 
eagle  as  a  token  of  both  civic  and  military  honor,  and 
he  was  the  sacred  bird  of  the  Hindoos,  and  of  the  Greek 
Zeus.  With  the  Scandinavians  he  was  the  bird  of 
wisdom,  sitting  on  the  boughs  of  the  uggrasill  tree.  The 
double-headed  eagle  was  in  use  among  the  Byzantine 
emperors,  "  to  indicate  their  claims  to  the  empire,  both  of 
the  east  and  the  west."  In  the  14th  century  the  German 
emperors  adopted  an  eagle  emblem.  The  arms  of  Prus- 
sia were  distinguished  by  the  black  and  those  of  Poland 
by  the  white  eagle,  and  Napoleon  made  him  the  emblem 
of  imperial  France,  represented  in  natural  style,  with  the 
thunderbolts  of  Jupiter  in  his  talons. 


THE  EAGLE'S  ANCIENT  FAME.  9 

Thus  has  this  mighty  bird  been  more  or  less  hon- 
ored by  nearly  all  civilized  nations,  and  even  in  America 
Columbus  found  the  heads  of  aboriginal  chiefs  and  war- 
riors plumed  with  the  feathers  of  the  eagle — especially 
of  the  black  eagle,  the  swiftest  and  fiercest  of  his  kind. 

The  present  popularity  of  the  eagle,  as  symbolic  of 
the  American  nation,  is  a  matter  that  has  been  growing 
upon  us.  For  his  earliest  use  on  flags  and  banners 
there  was  no  recognized  authority,  though  nothing  could 
have  been  more  natural.  After  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, Benjamin  Franklin,  John  Adams  and  Thomas 
Jefferson  were  appointed  to  prepare  a  device  for  a  great 
seal  of  the  United  States. 

The  result  of  their  labors  underwent  various  modifi- 
cations until  June  20,  1782,  when  our  present  great  seal 
was  adopted.  It  represents  the  escutcheon  on  the 
breast  of  the  American  eagle,  holding  in  his  dexter 
talon  an  olive  branch,  in  his  sinister  a  bundle  of  thir- 
teen arrows,  and  in  his  beak  a  scroll  inscribed  with  the 
motto,  E  Pluribus  Unum.  The  olive  signified  peace,  the 
arrows  themselves  war,  while  their  number,  thirteen, 
represented  the  original  thirteen  colonies.  "  The  escutch- 
eon is  borne  on  the  breast  of  the  American  eagle  with- 
out any  other  supporters  to  denote  that  the  United  States 
of  America  ought  to  rely  on  its  own  virtue." 

From  this  device  on  the  great  seal  of  the  United 
States  doubtless  arose  the  custom,  which  has  grown 
into  a  law,  of  otherwise  putting  forth  the  eagle  as  our 
national  emblem,  in  peace  as  well  as  war. 


CHAPTER  II. 

CAPTURE  AND  EARLY  LIFE  OF  OLD  ABE. 

HAVING  generalized  thus  briefly,  we  come  now  to 
Old  Abe,  the  famous  war-eagle  of  Wisconsin.  He 
was  captured  during  sugar-making  time  in  1861,  on  the 
Flambeau  River,  near  the  line  between  Ashland  and 
Price  counties,  in  Wisconsin,  by  a  Chippewa  Indian 
named  Chief  Sky. 

His  birthplace  was  in  a  large  tub-like  nest  of  mud 
and  sticks,  on  a  tall  pine,  which  the  Indian  felled, 
amidst  the  screams  and  menaces  of  the  old  birds,  for 
the  purpose  of  capturing  the  young. 

Chief  Sky  was  the  son  of  Thunder  of  Bees,  chief  of 
the  Flambeau  band  of  Chippewas,  who,  a  few  weeks 
later,  led  his  people  down  the  river  for  the  purpose  of 
disposing  of  their  baskets,  furs  and  moccasins.  While 
on  the  road  he  sold  the  young  bird  to  Daniel  McCann, 
of  Eagle  Point,  for  a  bushel  of  corn. 

And  for  this  paltry  sum  was  the  noble  bird  sold  from 
freedom  to  captivity,  from  barbarism  to  civilization, 
from  the  moan  of  pines  to  the  crash  of  battles,  from 
obscurity  to  fame. 

McCann  carried  the  eagle  to  Chippewa  Falls  and 
attempted  to  sell  him  to  a  company  just  recruiting  there 
for  the  First  Wisconsin  Battery.  Failing  in  this,  he 

proceeded  a  little  later  to  Eau  Claire  and  offered   the 

10 


CAPTURE   AND   EARLY    LIFE   OF   OLD   ABE.  11 

bird,  now  nearly  full-grown  and  handsome,  but  spiteful 
as  a  scorpion,  to  what  subsequently  became  Company  C, 
of  the  Eighth  or  Eagle  Regiment. 

Capt.  John  E.  Perkins  hesitated  at  first  about  accept- 
ing such  a  strange  volunteer,  but  finally  agreed  to  take 
him  to  the  front. 

The  following  letter,  written  to  the  officers  of  the 
Wisconsin  State  Historical  Society  soon  after  Old  Abe's 
death,  seems  to  contain  authentic  information  : 

BRADFORD,  PA.,  May  23,  1881. 

GENTLEMEN:  Having  seen  by  the  papers  the  death  of  the 
eagle,  Old  Abe,  and  having  read  so  many  stories  of  his  early 
life  up  to  the  time  of  his  enlistment,  none  of  which  conveyed 
the  exact  truth,  I  thought  it  might  not  be  out  of  place  for  me 
to  give  the  true  history  of  him,  as  I  had  probably  seen  more 
of  him  up  to  that  time  than  anyone  else. 

I  was  at  the  house  of  my  brother-in-law,  T.  W.  Martin,  at 
Chippewa  Falls  (he  is  still  living  there),  when  the  eagle  was 
brought  to  him  by  Daniel  McCann,  from  up  thejChippewa 
River,  where  he  is  still  living.  The  bird  was  about  the  size  of 
a  full-grown  hawk.  McCann  said  he  had  bought  him  of  an 
Indian,  and  wanted  to  sell  him.  Martin  did  not  buy  him,  but 
allowed  McCann  to  put  him  in  the  back  yard,  where  he  re- 
mained about  a  week. 

At  that  time  Capt.  Perkins  was  organizing  a  company  at 
Eau  Claire  for  the  Eighth  Regiment.  I  went  to  Eau  Claire 
the  day  the  company  left  to  see  some  of  my  friends  off,  and 
while  there  McCann  brought  the  eagle  down  and  offered  to 
sell  him  to  the  company. 

A  subscription  was  started.  A  Mr.  Mills,  keeping  a  saloon, 
through  some  misunderstanding,  refused  to  [give  anything, 
which  caused  no  little  indignation  among  the  boys;  but  he 
soon  came  to  an  understanding  of  the  matter  and  bought  the 
eagle  himself  of  McCann,  for  $5.00,  and  presented  him  to  the 
company.  This  is  the  true  history  of  Old  Abe  up  to  the  time 
of  his  enlistment. 

*****•*•** 
Yours  very  respectfully, 

THOS.  McEiEAN, 

Late  of  Chippewa  Falls. 


12      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN  WAR   EAGLE. 

In  due  time  the  eagle  was  sworn  in  by  putting  around 
his  neck  red,  white  and  blue  ribbons,  and  on  his  breast 
a  rosette  of  the  same  colors.  Thus  caparisoned,  James 
McGinnis  craved  the  privilege  of  being  his  keeper,  to 
which  all  assented.  In  a  few  days  he  produced  a  re- 
spectable perch;  and  two  patriotic  ladies  made  little 
flags  to  be  carried  on  either  side  of  him  when  on  the 
march. 

As  familiar  to  all  as  the  general  appearance  of  the 
eagle  is,  it  may,  nevertheless,  be  proper  to  insert  here  a 
description  of  Old  Abe  before  going  farther,  written  by  a 
close  observer  while  the  bird  was  living: 

His  weight  is  ten  and  a  half  pounds.  His  breast  is 
full  and  heavy,  trembling  with  ardent  emotions.  His 
head  is  large,  and  well  developed  in  front,  towering  up 
in  moral  aspect,  and  flattened  a  little  toward  the  neck, 
where  it  is  the  widest.  His  beak,  measuring  two  and 
three-quarter  inches,  bends  in  a  semi-circle  over  the 
mandible,  having  its  edges  cut  sharp  clear  to  the  point, 
where  it  is  as  hard  as  steel  and  of  a  beautiful  flint  color, 
but  changing  gradually  toward  the  base  into  a  sparkling 
saffron.  The  neck  is  short  and  thick,  the  body  large 
and  symmetrical;  the  wings  are  long  and  tail  rounded; 
the  legs  a  bright  yellow,  the  tarsus  three  inches  long,  bare 
for  the  lower  two-thirds,  and  covered  with  hard,  tough 
scales;  the  foot  short  and  full;  the  toes  free,  tuberculous 
beneath ;  the  four  curved  taloris  on  each  foot  have  sharp 
ends,  and  look  like  grappling  steels;  the  thighs  are 
remarkably  thick,  strong  and  muscular,  covered  with 


CAPTURE   AND   EARLY    LIFE   OF   OLD   ABE.  13 

long  feathers  pointing  backwards;  the  conformation  of 
the  wings  is  admirably  adapted  for  the  support  of  so 
large  a  bird,  measuring,  from  tip  to  tip,  six  feet  and  a 
half;  length  of  one,  two  feet  on  the  greater  quills;  the 
longest  primaries,  twenty  inches  and  upwards  of  one 
inch  in  circumference  where  they  enter  the  skin;  the 
scapulars  are  very  large  and  broad,  spreading  from  the 
back  to  the  wing  to  prevent  the  air  from  passing  through . 
The  plumage  is  compact  and  imbricated;  the  feathers 
on  the  breast,  back  and  top  of  the  wings  are  a  dark  brown 
with  a  changeable  gloss;  those  on  the  head,  neck  and 
breast  are  narrow  and  pointed;  the  other  parts  more 
rounded.  The  general  color  of  the  plumage  is  brown 
with  a  golden  tinge;  the  head  and  greater  part  of  the 
neck  and  coverts  are  a  fine  snowy*  white;  the  tail  is  also 
white,  and  spotted  black  on  the  upper  feathers  for  about 
half  their  length;  the  quills  are  brownish  black  with 
lighter  shafts. 

The  eyes  are  clear  and  round,  encircled  with  yellow 
papillary  linings,  fringed  on  their  inside  with  thin, 
elastic,  black  bands  or  plates,  like  concentric  rings;  the 
iris  is  a  brilliant  straw  color,  and  appears  like  the  sky, 
changing  in  luster  just  as  his  moods  change;  the  pupil 
is  large,  intensely  black  and  piercing,  contracting  and 
expanding  with  microscopic  and  telescopic  action  at 
every  light  and  shade.  When  looking  backward,  his 
head  appears  in  a  position  as  natural  as  when  looking 
forward.  The  expression  of  his  eye  is  most  fascinating: 
when  inspired  with  ambition  it  is  a  burst  of  sunlight 


14      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH    WISCONSIN   WAR   EAGLE. 

through  a  white  cloud;  when  angry,  every  feather  in 
ruffled  rage,  it  is  the  lightning  amidst  the  storm,  and  at 
all  times  it  burns  and  glitters  like  fire. 

Indeed,  the  eye  of  an  eagle  is  his  most  remarkable 
part.  In  addition  to  its  intense  power  and  brightness,  he 
has,  according  to  good  authority,  the  power  of  altering 
the  focus  just  as  he  pleases;  he  has  only  to  look  at  an 
object  at  the  distance  of  two  feet  or  two  miles,  in  order 
to  see  it  with  perfect  distinctness.  The  ball  is  sur- 
rounded by  fifteen  little  plates,  called  sclerotic  bones. 
They  form  a  complete  ring,  and  their  edges  slightly 
overlap  each  other.  When  he  looks  at  a  distant  object, 
this  little  circle  of  bones  expands  and  the  ball  of  the  eye, 
being  relieved  from  the  pressure,  becomes  flatter;  and 
when  he  looks  at  a  very  near  object,  the  little  bones  press 
together,  and  the  ball  of  the  eye  is  thus  squeezed  into  a 
rounder  or  more  convex  form.  The  effect  is  very 
familiar  to  everybody :  a  person  with  very  round  eyes 
is  near-sighted,  and  only  sees  clearly  an  object  that  is 
close  to  him;  and  a  person  with  flat  eyes,  as  in  old  age, 
can  see  nothing  clearly  except  at  a  distance.  The  eagle, 
by  the  mere  will,  can  make  his  eyes  round  or  flat,  and 
see  with  equal  clearness  at  any  distance. 


CHAPTER  III. 

IN   THE   SERVICE. 

ON  September  6,  1861,  with  bands  playing,  banners 
flying  and  people  shouting,  the  Eau  Claire  Eagles 
marched  from  camp  down  to  the  Chippewa  River,  on 
their  way  to  Camp  Randall,  at  Madison,  where  they  were 
to  be  mustered  in.  Abe,  though  somewhat  astonished, 
seemed  to  thoroughly  enjoy  the  novel  and  inspiriting 
scene,  perched  proudly  on  his  shield  between  the  flags 
presented  by  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  his  smooth,  grace- 
ful neck  encircled  with  ribbons  of  red,  white  and  blue. 

Right  heartily  did  the  people  cheer  the  boys  as  they 
marched  away  !  Many  remarked :  "  They  will  never 
be  whipped  while  they  follow  that  bird,"  and  the  Free 
Press  properly  enquired  :  "  Who  could  not  fight  under 
such  glorious  emblems  ?  " 

The  boys  boarded  the  steamer  Stella  Whipple  amidst 
the  sobs,  blessings  and  good-byes  which  all  soldiers 
have  witnessed  and  will  never  forget,  and  in  a  gloomy 
rain-storm  which  nobody  noticed. 

After  steaming  rapidly  down  the  Chippewa  and  the 
Mississippi,  the  company  reached  La  Crosse  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  second  day.  As  the  boat  was  made 
fast  to  the  levee,  the  guns  of  the  First  Wisconsin  Bat- 
tery boomed  forth  a  salute,  the  band  struck  up  "  Yankee 
Doodle"  and  the  assembled  throngs  sent  up  a  tremen- 
dous shout.  15 


16      OLD   ABE,   THE     EIGHTH   WISCONSIN  WAR   EAGLE. 

Abe,  borne  at  the  head  and  high  above  the  marching 
column,  attracted  all  eyes  and  brought  forth  a  fresh 
huzza  at  each  street  and  corner.  The  enthusiasm  rose 
to  such  a  height  in  La  Crosse  that  an  offer  of  $200  was 
made  for  Abe  to  Capt.  Perkins,  who  promptly  and 
proudly  replied:  "No,  the  eagle  belongs  to  the  com- 
pany and  can't  be  bought." 

From  La  Crosse  the  boys  were  transported  by  rail  to 
Camp  Randall  at  Madison,  the  capital  of  the  State, 
where  they  met  a  royal  reception.  The  company 
marched  to  a  martial  quick-step  through  the  principal 
streets  of  the  city,  passing  the  capitol,  the  colors  and 
eagle  displayed  in  fine  style.  At  Camp  Randall  occurred 
a  remarkable  scene.  As  the  company  approached  the 
hill,  its  musicians  struck  up  the  tune  of  "  Yankee 
Doodle."  The  Seventh  Wisconsin  and  fractional  parts 
of  the  Eighth  Avere  there  awaiting  accessions;  seeing  the 
Eau  Claire  boys  and  their  eagle  coming,  they  ran  to  the 
gate  of  entrance  and  opened  right  and  left.  During  all 
this  commotion  the  majestic  bird  sat  quietly  on  his 
perch;  but  just  as  .the  company  was  passing  the  gate, 
defiling  between  the  rows  of  spectators,  with  a  dart  of 
his  piercing  eye  to  the  flag  floating  close  over  his  head, 
he  seized  one  end  of  it  with  his  beak,  and  spread  his 
wings  with  a  continuously  flapping  motion.  He  held 
the  flag  during  the  time  of  crossing  the  grounds 
through  the  excited  crowd  to  the  front  of  Col.  R.  C. 
Murphy's  headquarters. 


IN   THE   SERVICE.  17 

The  Madison  State  Journal  of  the  10th  thus  mentions 
the  incident: 

An  incident  occurred  yesterday,  as  the  Chippewa  company 
arrived  at  Camp  Randall.  They  bore  in  advance  of  them  a 
platform  on  which  was  a  live  eagle,  surmounted  by  a  small 
American  flag.  Just  as  they  entered  camp,  the  eagle 
expanded  his  wings  and  seized  the  flag  in  his  beak.  The 
incident  attracted  much  attention,  and  if  it  had  happened  in 
other  days,  in  a  Roman  camp,  would  have  been  regarded  by 
the  augurs  as  a  singularly  favorable  omen. 

At  Camp  Randall  the  eagle's  visitors  numbered 
many  thousands,  among  whom  were  governors,  judges, 
generals,  and  other  high  dignitaries.  And  it  was  here 
that  Capt.  Perkins  invested  his  living  emblern  of  free- 
dom and  valor  with  the  title  of  Old  Abe,  in  honor  of 
the  patriot  President,  Abraham  Lincoln. 

By  popular  vote  the  men  of  Company  C  were  styled 
the  Eau  Claire  Eagles  and  the  Eighth,  of  which  they 
became  a  part,  was  named  the  Eagle  Regiment,  a  proud 
and  famous  title  in  the  military  history  of  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee. 

As  Old  Abe  was  now  a  soldier,  sworn  into  the  service 
of  his  country,  Quartermaster  Francis  L.  Billings,  at  the 
expense  of  the  State,  had  a  new  perch  constructed.  It 
was  a  shield  in  the  shape  of  a  heart,  on  which  was 
drawn  the  stars  and  stripes,  and  along  the  base  were 
legibly  painted,  "8th  Reg.  W.  V."  Raised  a  few  inches 
above  the  shield,  was  a  grooved  cross-piece  for  the  roost, 
on  each  end  of  which  were  three  arrows,  pointing  out- 
ward, representing  war. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ON   TO   THE   FRONT. 

ON  the  12th  of  October,  1861,  the  aggregate  strength 
being  nine  hundred  and  ninety  men,  the  regiment, 
under  command  of  Col.  Murphy,  took  its  departure  for 
the  front.  As  the  long  train  of  cars  passed  through  the 
villages  and  cities  of  Wisconsin,  great  was  the  enthusi- 
asm of  the  people.  They  poured  forth  rounds  of 
cheers  that  fired  the  soldiers  with  patriotism.  At  Janes- 
ville  the  crowd  was  immense  and  intensely  excited. 
Rock  county,  of  which  Janesville  is  the  seat,  had  given 
the  first  fruits  of  her  patriotism  to  the  country — Com- 
pany G,  of  the  Eighth,  led  by  Capt.  Wm.  B.  Britton — 
hence  the  peculiar  interest  of  the  people  on  that 
occasion. 

After  a  continuous  ovation  over  the  entire  route,  the 
regiment  arrived  in  Chicago  near  the  close  of  the  day, 
and  marched  through  the  city  with  Abe  under  the  col- 
ors. How  the  scene  electrified  Chicago!  A  correspond- 
ent of  the  Eau  Claire  Free  Press  says : 

Formed  in  platoons,  we  took  our  way  through  the  ciiy,  our 
Colonel  and  Governor  Alex.  W.  Randall  leading  us  on  horse- 
back. Our  progress  was  marked  by  many  demonstrations  of 
enthusiasm — the  regiment  as  a  whole,  and  our  "glorious  bird  " 
carried  aloft  at  the  head  of  our  company  appearing  to  divide 
about  equally  the  general  attention  and  applause.  I  fancied 
the  eagle  seemed  for  once  to  be  of  more  importance  than  the 
Eagles,  and  received  cheers  and  flattering  comment  enough 
to  spoil  any  less  sensible  bird. 

18 


ON  TO   THE   FRONT.  19 

The  Chicago  Tribune,  under  date  of  October  13,  thus 
alludes  to  the  reception : 

A  noticeable  feature  among  them  was  the  Eau  Claire  Eagles 
— Capt.  Perkins'  company — a  company  of  first-class,  stal- 
wart fellows.  The  live  eagle  which  they  brought  with  them 
was  an  object  of  much  curiosity.  He  is  a  majestic  bird  and 
well  trained.  When  marching,  the  eagle  is  carried  at  the 
head  of  the  company,  elevated  on  a  perch  at  the  top  of  a 
pole.  The  eagle  was  caught  on  the  head-waters  of  the  Chip- 
pewa  [Flambeau]  River  by  an  Indian.  Capt.  Perkins'  com- 
pany takes  it  to  the  war.  The  men  were  offered  a  large  sum 
for  it  in  Madison,  but  they  will  not  part  with  it.  They  swear 
it  shall  never  be  taken  by  the  enemy.  No  doubt  the  Eau 
Claire  Eagles  and  their  pet  bird  will  be  heard  of  again. 

On  the  morning  of  the  14th,  the  regiment  arrived  at 
the  Mississippi,  opposite  St.  Louis.  The  ferry-boat 
steamed  to  the  shore  and  received  the  Wisconsin  cargo 
with  brisk  orders.  When  approaching  the  city,  the 
band  played  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner,"  hearing 
which,  the  ladies  waved  a  proud  welcome  with  their 
handkerchiefs. 

Knowing  that  Union  soldiers  had  recently  been  fired 
upon  by  confederate  sympathizers,  difficulties  were  antic- 
ipated; but  what  was  their  surprise  to  find  that,  instead 
of  confederates,  Unionists  showed  signs  of  belligerency. 
What  did  it  mean  ?  Like  the  confederates,  our  soldiers 
were  then  dressed  in  gray,  and  were  at  first  supposed  to 
bt  Southerners;  and  though  excessively  hot,  they  were 
for  this  reason  obliged  to  put  on  their  blue  overcoats  to 
satisfy  the  patriotic  Unionists  that  they  were  not  rebels. 

When  the  regiment  was  preparing  to  enter  one  of  the 
principal  streets,  a  promiscuous  crowd  huddled  around, 


20      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN  WAR   EAGLE. 

and  seeing  the  eagle,  cried  out,  "  a  crow ! "  "a  wild 
goose  1 "  "a  turkey  buzzard  !  "  As  if  resolved  upon  a 
demonstration  of  defiance  to  these  insults  against  his 
highness,  Old  Abe  crouched  low  for  a  spring,  half-pois- 
ing his  wings,  and  darted  impetuously  upward,  break- 
ing the  cord  that  held  him  to  his  perch,  and  then  scud 
just  over  the  heads  of  the  motley  crowd,  even  flapping 
caps  with  the  tips  of  his  pinions;  then  shooting  higher, 
he  sailed  up,  up,  a  thousand  voices  shouting  after  him, 
and  majestically  alighted  upon  the  chimney  of  an  aristo- 
cratic mansion. 

The  whole  regiment  was  thrown  into  such  excitement, 
especially  Company  C,  that  the  men  could  scarcely  be 
wheeled  into  rank  and  file  for  marching  order  through 
the  city.  In  the  general  confusion  several  soldiers  sped 
after  the  eagle,  scattering  in  different  alleys  and  con- 
stantly watching  him  on  his  inaccessible  eyrie. 

The  flight  heightened  the  curiosity  of  the  spectators. 
Being  informed  it  was  an  eagle  from  the  North,  they 
were  in  ecstasies.  Meantime,  Old  Abe  sat  on  his  new 
perch,  leisurely  surveying  the  crowds  below.  Within 
half  an  hour,  however,  he  scooped  down  to  an  obscure 
sidewalk,  where  he  was  caught  and  conveyed  thence  to 
his  regiment. 

This  being  the  first  band  of  warriors  from  the  North- 
west, bringing,  too,  a  live  eagle,  the  reception  extended 
to  them  by  the  loyal  people  was  the  heartiest  that  could 
be  imagined.  One  old  Dinah  attracted  particular  atten- 
tion, she  laughed  so  heartily,  showing  her  white  teeth 


ON   TO   THE   FKONT.  21 

and  big  eyes,  and  crying  at  the  top  of  her  voice:  "Go  in, 
boys  !  go  in!  God  bress  ye!  " 

Halting  at  one  of  the  principal  hotels,  the  regiment 
was  welcomed  to  the  city  by  Governor  Gamble,  who,  in 
the  course  of  his  patriotic  address,  frequently  pointed 
to  the  eagle,  and  was  cheered  by  the  soldiers.  Arriving 
at  Benton  Barracks  the  boys  were  addressed  by  Secre- 
tary Simon  Cameron  and  Gen.  Thomas,  who  highly 
complimented  them  for  their  fine  appearance,  and  threw 
in  a  good  word  for  Old  Abe. 

Here  a  wealthy  and  ardent  Union  man  of  St.  Louis 
tendered  $500  for  Old  Abe,  to  which  Capt.  Perkins  re- 
sponded as  before:  "  No  price  can  buy  him." 

Scarcely  had  the  regiment  unpacked  at  Benton  Bar- 
racks ere  it  was  ordered  to  advance,  and  on  the  evening 
of  the  15th  of  October,  1861,  the  inexperienced  band 
pushed  forward  on  a  long  and  perilous  adventure. 

But  it  was  a  gala  time.  At  Big  River — where  the 
bridge  had  been  burned  by  the  enemy — the  men  trans- 
ported their  baggage  across  on  their  backs,  wading  waist 
deep.  Abe,  noticing  the  ripples  and  fishes,  whistled  a 
merry  note  with  the  rest.  Thus  the  feeling  became  uni- 
versal that  there  could  be  no  better  companion  to  inspire 
hilarity  and  enthusiasm  under  difficulties.  As  he  led 
the  van  of  the  column,  in  sight  of  all  the  soldiers,  over 
that  variegated  country,  and  in  all  their  subsequent 
marches,  he  was  not  only  a  constant  reminder  of  their 
oath  of  trust,  but  of  the  loftiness  of  ambition.  He  often 
played  under  the  waving  colors,  watching  other  birds  in 


22      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR   EAGLE. 

the  far-up  blue  which  no  human  eye  could  reach,  pant- 
ing and  aspiring  to  rise  on  peerless  wing,  monarch  of  all. 
As  all  soldiers  know,  Company  C  is  the  "  color  com- 
pany;" so  the  color-bearer  and  the  bearer  of  Old  Abe 
marched  side  by  side  at  the  front.  What  leaders  for 
patriot-warriors  doing  battle  for  the  integrity  of  their 
beloved  country  ! 


CHAPTER  V. 

CONDUCT   IN   BATTLE. 

ON  the  20th  the  boys  marched  all  night  and  slept  in 
the  streets  of  Fredericktown,  Mo.,  until  noon  of  the  next 
day,  when  they  were  startled  by  the  sharp  and  sudden 
blast  of  bugles.  The  enemy  was  discovered  in  the 
woods  hard  by,  and  an  engagement  was  on.  It  was  the 
first  active  service  put  upon  the  Eagles,  and  at  this 
time,  too,  they  were  reserves. 

Chained  on  the  roof  of  the  court-house,  only  a  half- 
mile  distant  from  the  scene  of  action,  Abe  watched  with 
intense  interest  the  dark-winged  lines  rush  on  to  the 
shock  of  battle.  His  trepidation  was  plainly  discern- 
ible, and  as  the  rattle  of  musketry,  the  hastening  of 
ambulances,  the  shouting  of  officers,  the  screams  of  pro- 
jectiles and  the  shrieks  of  the  wounded  burst  upon  his 
senses  in  the  full  tide  of  battle,  he  became  wild  with 
excitement,  leaping  and  screeching,  and  gnawing  his 
perch  as  if  crazed  by  the  tumult  and  destruction  going 
on  around  him. 

After  the  battle  he  calmed  down,  apparently  well 
pleased  with  the  result — victory. 

After  winterquarters  at  Sulphur  Springs,  Mo.,  Old 
Abe  moved  up  to  Cairo,  111.  He  was  now  stern  and 
heroic,  from  his  military  experience,  although  he  had 
seen  no  fighting  at  closer  range  than  from  the  court- 
house roof  at  Fredericktown. 


24      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR   EAGLE. 

The  first  pitched  battle  in  which  Abe  was  an  active 
participant  was  at  Farmington,  Miss.,  on  May  9,  1362, 
where  a  single  brigade  of  Union  men  met  Gen.  Beaure- 
gard  with  25,000  well-equipped  confederates. 

The  Eagles  and  Twenty-sixth  Illinois  were  sent  forth 
to  rake  the  woods.  Up  rose  the  foe,  quick  and  defiant; 
but  these  two  regiments  held  the  ground  for  half  an 
hour  under  a  raking  fire.  Anxious  for  the  safety  of  Old 
Abe,  Capt.  Perkins  ordered  the  bearer  to  keep  well  in 
the  rear,  but  within  hailing  distance  of  his  company. 
As  the  enemy  pressed  on  with  irresistible  destruction, 
the  boys  were  ordered  to  prostrate  themselves  on  the 
ground  in  the  open  field  behind  a  knoll. 

Not  being  conspicuously  exposed,  the  bearer  deter- 
mined to  remain  upright,  but  Abe,  seeing  the  men  on 
their  faces,  imitated  their  example.  He  was  picked  up, 
with  stern  orders  to  keep  his  perch,  but  refused  to  obey. 
This  experiment  failing  for  the  fifth  or  sixth  time,  the 
bearer  threw  the  perch  on  the  ground  and  crouched  low 
with  the  rest,  whereupon  the  eagle  crept  close  to  his 
side,  where  he  remained  till  the  bugle  sounded,  when  he 
leaped  to  his  perch  with  the  rising  men.  The  author  of 
"Army  Life  and  Stray  Shots  from  a  Staff  Officer  of  the 
Eighth  Regiment  Wisconsin  Volunteers,"  thus  describes 
this  scene  : 

At  the  battle  of  Farmington,  May  9,  1862,  the  men  were 
ordered  to  lie  down.  The  instant  they  did  so,  it  was  impos- 
sible to  keep  .Abe  upon  his  perch.  He  insisted  on  being  pro- 
tected as  well  as  they,  and,  when  liberated,  flattened  himself 
on  the  ground,  and  there  remained  till  the  men  arose;  when, 


CONDUCT  IN   BATTLE.  25 

with  outspread  wings,  he  resumed  his  place  of  peril  and  held 
it  till  the  close  of  the  contest. 

i 

This  strange  piece  of  imitative  sagacity  is  corrobo- 
rated by  David  McLane,  a  member  of  Company  C,  who, 
in  a  letter  dated  "  Camp  near  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  Feb. 
18,  1865,"  wrote: 

The  first  fight  the  eagle  was  in  was  the  battle  of  Farming- 
ton,  Miss.,  where  he  showed  a  great  deal  of  sagacity.  When 
we  were  ordered  to  lie  down  on  the  ground,  under  a  dreadful 
artillery  fire  from  the  enemy's  batteries,  he  flew  off  his  perch, 
getting  as  low  as  he  could,  and  lay  there  until  he  saw  the  regi- 
ment rise  to  advance,  when  he  flew  upon  his  perch  again,  and 
remained  there  through  the  engagement. 

In  this  battle  Capt.  Perkins  fell  mortally  wounded, 
and  Lieut.  Victor  Wolf  succeeded  him  in  command. 
In  his  report,  Gen.  Palmer  highly  complimented  the 
"  regiment  that  bore  the  eagle." 

Old  Abe  was  in  the  battle  before  Corinth,  on  the  28th 
of  May.  As  the  army  sent  up  a  shout  when  the  Union 
flag  appeared  on  the  enemy's  works,  he,  the  emblem  and 
herald  of  the  victory,  was  seen  "  whirling,  dancing  and 
screaming  in  the  wildest  delight  on  his  perch,"  apparently 
comprehending  the  situation  to  the  fullest  extent. 

A  soldier  avers  that,  soon  after  the  cheering,  and 
while  Abe  was  eating  a  rabbit,  the  bugle  of  the  regiment 
called  to  pursue  the  enemy.  A  convalescent  soldier 
ordered  him  to  mount  his  standard.  As  if  appreciating 
the  urgency  of  the  moment,  Abe  devoured  the  remain- 
ing half  of  his  rabbit  at  one  swallow  and  leaped  to  his 
perch,  wiping  his  beak  as  he  rode  to  the  colors  as  if  to 
say,  "  You  bet  Fm  well-fixed,  boys." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ANTICS  IN  CAMP. 

ABE'S  first  bearer,  James  McGinnis,  being  taken  sud- 
denly ill,  Thomas  J.  Hill  succeeded  him  at  this  point, 
though  several  others  craved  the  honor.  In  shoulder- 
ing the  perch  and  donning  the  socket-belt,  Tom  fell  a 
little  behind.  As  he  rushed  forward  to  regain  his 
proper  station  he  stumbled  into  a  clump  of  bushes,  to 
the  great  disgust  of  Old  Abe,  who,  as  soon  as  the  dis- 
comfited pair  emerged  from  the  brush,  struck  his  talons 
into  the  neck  and  face  of  his  bearer. 

This  was  a  grave  military  offense,  but  under  the 
circumstances  there  was  no  court-martial. 

Soon  after,  the  brigade  went  into  quarters  at  Clear 
Creek,  where  for  some  time  Abe  had  a  gay  frolic,  learn- 
ing a  great  deal  that  was  both  mischievous  and  amus- 
ing— running  at  large,  catching  bugs  with  his  claws  in 
puddles  of  water,  fishing  in  the  creek,  catching  bullets 
rolled  upon  the  ground,  running  off  with  the  ball  in  the 
hilarious  game,  tipping  over  water-pails,  visiting  the 
sutler's  tent  and  tearing  up  soldiers'  clothes. 

One  day  a  soldier  cut  off  the  heads  of  some  chickens 
and  left  them  a  few  moments  to  flutter,  while  preparing 
to  cook  them.  Old  Abe  noticed  the  movement  at  a  lit- 
tle distance,  and  slyly  hurried  to  the  spot,  passing  some 
soldiers  who  warned  the  cook  of  the  bird's  foraging 
attitude.  26 


ANTICS   IN   CAMP.  27 

As  the  man  turned  to  look  for  his  chickens  in  one 
direction,  Abe  perceived  one  in  the  grass  just  behind 
him,  and  snatched  it  up  and  whirled  off  like  a  rocket, 
amid  the  cheers  of  the  spectators.  The  cook,  furious 
with  rage,  ran  puffing  and  swearing  after  Abe,  without 
overtaking  him. 

At  this  point,  Clear  Creek,  Abe  always  "went  in 
swimming  "  with  the  boys,  and  was  not  behind  them  in 
enjoyment  of  the  water-frolics. 

Day  by  day  his  fame  extended.  During  one  of  his 
periods  of  excessive  hilarity,  a  farmer  accosted  the 
bearer,  offering  to  give  the  eagle  a  chicken  for  the  privi- 
lege of  exhibiting  him  to  the  children.  Tom  accepted, 
and  on  arriving  at  the  house  a  fair  young  lady  appeared 
among  the  children,  who  vainly  coaxed  the  bird  for  the 
privilege  of  touching  his  royal  plumage,  remarking 
that  she  "  never  expected  to  see  the  celebrated  eagle 
which  she  had  heard  was  carried  by  a  Yankee  regi- 
ment." 

After  satisfying  the  curiosity  of  the  children,  Abe 
was  liberated  among  the  fowls.  He  stalked  toward  the 
chickens,  threw  his  head  swiftly  from  side  to  side,  as 
he  always  did  on  such  occasions,  walked  around  his 
selected  victim  with  a  stealthy  air,  and  then  made  his 
terrible  lunge. 

Drawing  the  chicken  directly  under  him  and  stand- 
ing defiantly  upon  it,  he  opened  his  wings  to  a  hovering 
position,  bent  down  his  tail  spread  out  like  a  fan,  rustled 
up  his  feathers  and  uttered  a  shrieking  chuckle  of  satis- 


28      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH  WISCONSIN   WAR    EAGLE. 

faction.  These  incantations  over,  he  plunged  his  beak 
into  the  heart  and  devoured  it  palpitating.  Looking  on 
and  shuddering,  the  children  exclaimed,  "Oh  !  Oh  !  " 
But  Tom  gave  the  beautiful  brunette  a  significant  wink, 
saying:  "  He  is  from  Wisconsin." 

To  the  soldiers  he  served  as  a  barometer.  If  the 
weight  of  the  atmosphere  indicated  a  storm,  he  was 
uneasy  to  find  a  shelter  ere  it  came  on,  and,  if  tethered, 
was  very  lively.  No  one  but  his  bearer  could  approach 
him  then  without  severe  reproof. 

If  the  lightning  flashed  his  eye  was  lighted  with  a 
new  fury;  and,  as  the  thunder  followed,  he  listened 
with  rapt  suspense,  screaming  in  terrible  revelry  for 
minutes  at  a  time;  but  if  the  rain  continued  steady  and 
heavy,  he  grew  calm,  and  hiding  his  head  under  his 
wing,  slept  contentedly  until  the  sunlight  appeared. 

Abe  drank  after  the  manner  of  all  other  birds,  but 
when  no  better  chance  availed  itself,  he  would  throw 
back  his  head,  open  his  mouth  and  permit  his  bearer 
to  pour  water  down  his  throat  from  a  canteen. 

He  was  also  very  friendly  with  his  keeper,  shaking 
hands  with  him  and  taking  his  fingers  with  a  gentle 
pressure  in  his  beak.  Yet  he  was  extremely  sensitive 
as  to  his  rights,  and  never  forgot  the  person  who  abused 
him. 

One  day  a  sergeant  tormented  him  with  rough  hand- 
ling, and  affronted  him  by  mimicking  his  manner  of 
self-defense.  Like  an  Indian  he  laid  up  a  store-  of 
vengeance  for  the  future  and  when,  several  months  later, 


ANTICS   IN   CAMP.  29 

the  sergeant  returned  from  a  journey,  Abe  fixed  his 
kindling  eye  upon  him,  and  the  moment  he  came  into 
his  presence  flew  at  his  head  with  fury,  actually  driv- 
ing him  off. 

While  taking  a  bath  in  the  creek  a  mischievous  Negro 
tormented  him.  After  submitting  as  long  as  it  was 
thought  appropriate,  he  flew  at  the  African  with  terrific 
force,  chasing  him  out  of  camp.  From  that  time  on  the 
colored  brethren  kept  at  a  respectful  distance;  and  Abe 
always  hated  them. 

He  hated  dogs,  too,  though  early  in  the  campaign  he 
took  a  deep  interest  in  a  regimental  dog  named  Frank, 
because  Frank  was  a  good  hunter,  bringing  in  numer- 
ous rabbits,  rats  and  mice.  Whenever  he  heard  Frank's 
sharp  bark  in  the  adjoining  brush  or  fields,  he  lowered 
his  head  and  stretched  forth  his  neck,  listening  with  all 
the  earnestness  of  an  eager  stomach. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

CORINTH   AND   OTHER   BATTLES. 

BEARER  HILL  having  been  promoted,  David  McLane, 
of  Menomonie,  Wisconsin,  was  placed  in  charge  of  Abe 
on  August  18,  1862. 

On  discovering  that  the  enemy  was  concentrating  for 
a  grand  attack  on  Corinth,  then  held,  by  our  forces,  Rose- 
crans  rallied  on  the  3d*  of  October,  1862,  to  meet  42,000 
Southern  troops  combined  under  Price,  Van  Dorn  and 
Lovell.  At  this  time  the  Eagles  stood  near  the  base  of  the 
hill,  in  front  of  the  line,  Old  Abe  in  the  advance.  Before 
the  battle  commenced,  Gen.  Price,  having  heard  of  the 
eagle,  and  knowing  his  capture  would  electrify  the 
South,  ordered  his  men  to  take  him  at  any  hazard;  and 
if  they  could  not  do  that,  to  kill  him. 

On  this  point  McLane,  who  carried  Abe  through  the 
engagement,  wrote: 

The  rebel  Gen.  Price  saw  him  there  and  ordered  his  men 
either  to  capture  or  kill  him  at  all  hazards,  stating  that  he 
had  heard  of  that  bird  before,  and  would  rather  capture  him 
than  the  whole  brigade.  I  had  this  statement  from  rebel  pris- 
oners and  believe  it  to  be  true. 

Col.  J.  W.  Jefferson  verifies  what  others  have  testi- 
fied: 

One  of  Gen.  Price's  men,  who  was  captured  by  us,  told  me 
Price  said  to  his  men  that  he  would  rather  have  them  capture 
the  eagle  of  the  Eighth  Wisconsin  than  a  "dozen  battle-flags," 
and  that  if  they  succeeded,  he  would  give  the  lucky  (or 

30 


CORINTH   AND   OTHER   BATTLES.  31 

unlucky)  confederate  "free  pillage  in  Corinth!"  The  val- 
iant rebels  did  not  succeed,  however,  but,  instead,  many  of 
them  were  captured. 

A  confederate  soldier,  brother  of  a  guerrilla  chief,  visit- 
ing Madison  in  1875,  informed  one  of  the  eagle's  attend- 
ants that  while  in  the  Southern  service,  during  one  of 
the  battles,  he  heard  his  general  say:  "I  would  rather 
capture  Old  Abe  than  a  whole  brigade." 

During  a  lull  in  the  battle,  as  the  enemy  was  prepar- 
ing again  to  fire  from  the  brow  of  the  hill,  distant  not 
over  thirty  rods  from  the  Eighth  Regiment,  the  eagle 
being  exposed  in  plain  sight  of  the  enemy,  a  confeder- 
ate officer  was  heard  by  several  in  Company  C  to  say: 
"  There  he  is — the  eagle — capture  him,  boys!  " 

No  sooner  was  this  command  given  than  their  artil- 
lery opened  upon  our  forces,  under  the  cover  of  which  a 
column  moved  briskly  over  the  crest  to  break  and  scat- 
ter our  front,  and  capture  the  prize.  During  these  move- 
ments Abe  scanned  with  fire-lit  eye  every  movement  on 
the  hill,  and,  as  the  confederate  infantry  came  in  sight, 
whistled  a  startling  note  of  alarm. 

Instantly  both  armies  met  in  a  deafening  shock, 
midst  a  boom  and  crash  of  cannon  that  trembled  forest 
and  valley.  Shouts  rent  the  air,  while  death  mowed  his 
swath  through  both  armies,  the  bloody  gaps  closing  up 
again  and  again. 

During  the  conflict  the  eagle  leaped  up  with  a  des- 
perate spring,  breaking  his  cord,  if  it  was  not  cut  by  a 
Minie-ball,  and  was  seen  by  the  combatants  circling 
and  careering  in  the  sulphurous  smoke. 


32      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR   EAGLE. 

The  enemy  pressed  on  exultant,  sending  bullets  thick 
as  hailstones  after  the  noble  bird.  Once  he  wavered  and 
careened,  as  if  wounded,  but  at  once  recovered  and  con- 
tinued to  mount,  circle  and  scream  as  if  mad  with 
excitement  and  exultation. 

After  viewing  the  combat  for  a  time  from  his  sky- 
eyrie,  he  appeared  suddenly  to  catch  sight  of  his  regi- 
ment and  flag,  and  came  sweeping  down  with  frightful 
speed,  alighting  hard  by  with  a  peculiar  whistle  which 
everybody  recognized  as  one  of  satisfaction. 

At  the  close  of  the  battle — the  victory,  bloody  and 
dear  though  it  was — an  examination  revealed  the  fact 
that  when  Abe  careened  in  his  upward  flight,  he  had 
been  slightly  struck  by  one  of  the  many  deadly  missiles 
the  confederates  sent  after  him. 

Soon  after  the  battle,  some  one  in  the  regiment  had 
the  audacity  to  crop  the  tail  and  one  wing  of  the  eagle, 
to  prevent  him  from  flying  away  during  an  engagement. 
It  was  argued  by  the  shabby  party  who  did  the  crop- 
ping, that  Abe  u  might  get  lost."  He  no  longer  looked 
like  himself;  and  his  disheveled  appearance  mortified 
the  soldiers  and  regimental  officers  exceedingly. 

Disgusted  with  the  treatment  his  bird  had  received, 
McLane  resigned  his  eagle  commission  on  the  1st  of  No- 
vember, 1862,  and  Edward  Homaston,  of  Eau  Claire,  was 
tendered  the  honor.  Having  been  reared  among  the  Green 
Mountains  of  Vermont,  where  in  boyhood  he  watched  the 
flight  of  eagles  every  day,  he  took  to  Old  Abe  naturally. 


CORINTH   AND   OTHER   BATTLES.  33 

Their  friendship  for  one  another  was  very  strong;  they 
slept  together  like  brothers. 

At  Oxford,  where  the  confederate  citizens,  especially 
the  women,  called  Abe  "  a  dirty  crow,"  "  a  Yankee  buz- 
zard," and  the  like,  a  squad  of  barefooted  little  urchins 
congregated  about  the  bird,  which  was  tethered  on  the 
ground.  One  boy,  who  drew  especially  near,  was  the 
possessor  of  a  pair  of  feet  which,  by  reason  of  mud  and 
exposure,  had  reached  the  color  and  appearance  of  a 
large,  lazy  toad. 

The  eagle  fastened  his  eye  on  them  at  once,  and  began 
to  throw  his  head  from  side  to  side,  as  was  customary 
before  pouncing  upon  game. 

An  officer  chanced  to  see  the  performance,  and  by  a 
sharp  yell  drove  the  urchin  back  in  great  fright  just  in 
time  to  save  his  tawny  feet  from  laceration. 

Abe  was  possessed  of  undoubted  intelligence.  When 
on  the  march  he  kept  constantly  on  the  watch,  was  alive 
to  every  sound,  and  invariably  informed  his  bearer  of 
any  danger  from  the  limb  of  a  tree,  or  the  approach  of 
an  enemy,  by  a  note  of  alarm.  Even  when  the  army 
rested  at  night,  if  any  one  approached,  however  cau- 
tiously, he  would  suddenly  withdraw  his  head  from  his 
wing  and  utter  a  short  screech.  His  quick  ear  detected 
the  faintest  tread  and  his  powerful  eye  the  remotest 
appearance  of  danger,  which  he  never  failed  to  make 
known. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  CAMPAIGN  IN  TENNESSEE  AND  MISSISSIPPI. 

ON  THE  swift  march  to  Grand  Junction  Abe  was  com- 
pelled to  go  several  days  without  food.  The  boys  had 
little  or  nothing  to  divide,  so  Homaston  was  forced  to 
sally  out  in  the  night  and  capture  a  couple  of  plump 
confederate  chickens  with  which  to  break  the  fast. 

As  winter  drew  on  at  La  Grange,  Tennessee,  no  meat 
could  be  procured  for  the  eagle.  This  was  a  very  serious 
matter,  for  meat  was  his  principal  diet. 

Capt.  Wolf  attempted  repeatedly  to  purchase  some 
chickens  of  a  well-to-do  planter  near  by,  but  without 
success.  Finally,  taking  the  eagle  with  him,  he  went  yet 
again  to  the  farmer  and  threatened  that  if  no  chickens 
could  be  bought  Old  Abe  should  be  let  loose  to  capture 
whatever  he  pleased. 

Thereupon  the  Southerner  came  forth  and  said  he 
would  compromise  on  a  Guinea-hen,  provided  Abe 
could  kill  her  in  a  fair  fight.  As  half  a  loaf  is  better 
than  no  bread,  Capt.  Wolf  accepted  this  proposition. 

During  the  parley  quite  a  crowd,  including  several 
regimental  officers,  gathered  to  witness  the  battle.  Eying 
his  prey  with  a  measuring  glance,  Abe  sprung  forward, 
when  the  hen  uttered  her  peculiar  squall — a  sound 
entirely  strange  to  his  quick  ear — which  so  startled  him 
that  he  paused  for  further  examination.  Improving 

84 


THE   CAMPAIGN   IN   TENNESSEE   AND   MISSISSIPPI.       35 

the  cessation  of  hostilities  the  hen  scud  off  to  the  oppo- 
site corner.  Enraged  at  this  procedure,  the  eagle  made 
another  dash,  which  was  followed  by  the  same  unearthly 
squall.  Thoroughly  astonished,  Abe  paused  again  to 
look  at  the  author  of  the  strange  squawk. 

There  was  no  possibility  of  outflanking  the  hen, 
neither  did  she  dare  to  meet  the  eagle  in  mortal  combat; 
so  round  and  round  they  flew,  amid  roars  of  laughter, 
till  at  length  the  Guinea  escaped  under  a  building, 
where  the  eagle,  swelled  and  ruffled  in  anger,  could  not 
penetrate. 

This  bit  of  fun  mellowed  the  planter,  who  now  per- 
mitted Abe  to  try  his  skill  on  a  Shanghai.  Quickly 
selecting  his  victim  and  poising  himself  for  a  spring,  he 
caught  up  the  pullet  with  an  unerring  sweep  and  was 
soon  chuckling  and  ruffling  his  feathers  over  a  feast. 

The  cotton  bales  at  La  Grange,  of  which  the  breast- 
works were  made,  afforded  immense  sport  for  Abe.  He 
plucked  and  tore  the  fleecy  substance  in  great  glee  and 
cluttered  the  soft  fragments  into  a  bed  on  which  to  lie 
in  the  sun,  or  sleep  at  night. 

Capt.  A.  G.  Weissert,  of  the  Eighth,  relates  the  fol- 
lowing : 

During  the  spring  of  1863  the  brigade  of  which  the  Eighth 
Wisconsin  formed  a  part  was  for  a  short  time  encamped  at 
Germantown,  Tennessee,  not  far  from  the  Mississippi  line. 
A  fort  had  been  built  on  a  commanding  position  north  of  the 
town,  and  near  it  was  the  camp  of  that  regiment. 

The  brigade  commander  was  Gen.  Joe  A.  Mower,  who 
joined  as  a  colonel  and  left  a  major-general.  A  braver  soldier 
never  lived. 


36      OLD   ABE,    THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN  WAR  EAGLE. 

The  Eighth  was  not  so  fortunate  as  to  remain  long  in  camp 
on  any  occasion,  and  so  it  proved  at  Germantown.  One 
morning  the  regiment  unexpectedly  received  orders  to  forth- 
with break  camp  and  report  to  the  brigade  commander  on 
the  Memphis  road.  It  took  the  old  regiment  but  a  few  min- 
utes to  strike  tents  and  get  itself  into  marching  order,  as  it 
had  often  received  similar  orders  before  under  like  circum- 
stances. Old  Slack,  the  regimental  bugler,  had  sounded  the 
assembly  and  orders  were  given  to  "  fall  in,"  and  in  less  time 
than  this  incident  can  be  told  the  boys  were  in  line,  ready  to 
march.  But  they  did  not  march.  Again  an  aid-de-camp  hur- 
riedly delivered  orders  to  the  colonel  commanding,  directing 
him  to  report  with  his  regiment  as  before  ordered — still  the 
regiment  did  not  move.  The  rear  companies  asked  the  cause 
of  the  unusual  delay,  when  their  attention  was  directed  to 
the  eagle-bearer,  out  in  a  field  near  a  great  forest,  looking 
skyward.  There,  soaring  high  above  the  bearer  was  Old  Abe, 
the  pet  of  the  regiment. 

Gradually  the  eagle  circled  his  way  toward  his  keeper,  who 
stood  below  with  shield  extended  as  a  signal  for  him  to  return. 
This  he  did,  and  when  the  bearer  with  the  eagle  took  his  place 
near  the  colors,  the  regiment  moved  off  with  light  hearts  and 
soon  reported  to  the  brigade  commander,  but  not  until  it  had 
been  ordered  to  do  so  for  the  third  time.  As  the  regiment 
came  marching  along  with  the  long,  swinging  step  so  common 
with  the  Western  soldiers,  the  colonel  saluted  Gen.  Mower, 
who,  in  an  impetuous  manner,  said  : 

"Colonel,  did  you  not  receive  orders  to  report  here  with 
your  command  some  time  ago  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  colonel. 

"Then,  why  did  you  not  report  promptly — you  have  kept 
the  column  waiting  nearly  an  hour." 

"  General,"  said  the  colonel,  "  Old  Abe  was  off  when  your 
unexpected  orders  were  received,  and  the  boys  of  the  Eighth 
would  not  march  without  their  eagle." 

"I  don't  blame  them, under  the  circumstances,"  said  the 
old  general,  "  d — d  if  I  would  have  marched,  either." 

On  the  \  1th  of  March,  1863,  the  Eagles  were  ordered 
to  Memphis — welcome  news,  for  they  anticipated  a  rest 
amid  the  gayeties  and  luxuries  of  city  life.  Old  Abe 
remained  on  his  perch  all  that  day,  watching  the  prep- 
aration. Having  become  impatient  at  what  he  must 
have  regarded  as  unnecessary  delay,  the  bugle-blast  to 


THE   CAMPAIGN   IN   TENNESSEE   AND   MISSISSIPPI.       37 

march  was  so  electrifying  to  his  patriotic  nerves  that  he 
snatched  up  the  cord,  stiff  from  a  recent  cold  rain,  and- 
bit  it  in  twain  as  clean  and  smooth  as  if  his  beak  had 
been  a  sharp  knife;  and  then,  with  an  unmistakable 
"  come  on,  boys!"  he  soared  over  the  regiment  with  a 
whirr  of  exultation,  higher  and  higher,  on  easy  wing, 
sailing  round  and  round  in  the  dark  sky,  and,  when  up 
to  a  shooting  point,  scooped  far  off  in  a  grand  circle 
and  back  over  the  army  again,  the  whole  brigade  gazing 
and  thousands  of  voices  shouting,  "Bravo,  Old  Abe!" 

After  completing  his  gyrations  he  settled  leisurely 
down  near  a  spring  where  he  had  been  accustomed  to 
drink,  and  was  easily  captured  and  transferred  to  his 
perch,  though  his  eyes  glistened  with  a  roguish  twinkle. 

The  stay  at  Memphis  was  unexpectedly  short.  The 
boys  were  ordered  to  Helena.  On  the  journey  they 
encountered  a  violent  hurricane,  which  made  no  end  of 
trouble  for  Old  Abe  and  finally  blew  him,  entangled  in 
his  cord,  into  a  tree,  severely  bruising  a  leg. 

On  April  1,  1863,  they  landed  at  Ducksport  and  went 
into  camp  on  the  Louisiana  side,  nine  miles  from  Vicks- 
burg.  Here  the  soldiers  were  addressed  by  Gen.  G.  H. 
Thomas.  As  his  eye  glanced  over  the  stalwart  ranks 
he  caught  a  view  of  Old  Abe,  whom  he  had  not  seen  since 
the  greeting  in  St.  Louis,  about  two  years  before. 
Brightening  up  as  if  he  had  unexpectedly  met  an  old 
friend,  he  added :  "  I  had  supposed  that  all  present  were 
strangers  to  me,  but  I  see  one  familiar  personage  at  least 


38      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH    WISCONSIN   WAR   EAGLE. 

— that  majestic  eagle  of  the  Eighth  Wisconsin,  the 
emblem  now  of  universal  freedom  in  this  Republic." 

Gen.  Tuttle's  Division  soon  passed  further  down, 
reaching  Hard  Times  Landing  on  the  7th  of  May.  Just 
as  each  company  had  stacked  arms  in  the  middle  of  the 
road,  Generals  Mower,  Smith,  Sherman  and  Grant 
came  dashing  by,  inspecting  the  army.  As  they  passed 
the  old  Eighth,  Grant  doffed  his  hat  to  the  eagle,  at 
which  the  regiment  cheered,  the  bird  responding  with 
true  military  spirit  by  a  shrill  scream  and  a  quick 
flap  of  his  wings. 

Crossing  the  Mississippi  and  then  marching  to  Grand 
Gulf,  Fort  Gibson  and  Rocky  Springs,  the  Eagles  skir- 
mished on  the  12th  with  the  enemy  at  Fourteen-Mile 
Creek.  Here  Gen.  Sherman,  frequently  riding  with  his 
staff  during  the  day  in  their  rear,  noticed  the  dash  and 
skill  of  the  men,  and  paid  them  a  high  compliment, 
remarking  :  "  You  are  worthy  to  carry  the  American 
eagle." 

The  next  day,  on  entering  Raymond,  Abe  witnessed 
another  skirmish,  during  which  the  ememy  was  driven 
to  Mississippi  Springs;  "  and  it  was  fun,"  says  a  soldier, 
"  to  see  how  drolly  he  watched  the  '  butternuts '  as  they 
skedaddled  into  the  tangled  brush." 

The  scene  at  the  battle  of  Jackson,  Miss.,  was  such 
as  to  afford  a  revelry  of  delight  to  the  wild  and  stormy 
spirit  of  an  eagle.  The  federal  attack  was  impetuous,  but 
nature's  battle — the  attack  of  the  elements — was  even 
fiercer.  The  swift  movements  of  the  troops,  the  dashing 


THE   CAMPAIGN  IN   TENNESSEE   AND   MISSISSIPPI.       39 

rain,  the  rush  and  roar  of  battle,  the  flash  of  light- 
ning and  the  peal  of  thunder,  all  overhung  by  a  black 
and  angry  sky  that  reached  heavily  down  to  mingle 
with  the  smoke  of  the  conflict,  combined  to  make  a 
scene  of  sublimity  which  man  is  not  often  permitted  to 
witness. 

Abe  was  all  spirit  and  fire.  He  flapped  his  pinions 
and  sent  his  powerful  scream  high  above  the  din  of 
battle. 

The  federals  won  and  Old  Abe,  with  the  "  lightning 
playing  on  his  pinions,"  entered  the  capital  of  Missis- 
sippi at  the  head  of  the  victorious  army. 

The  confederate  flag  was  soon  hauled  down  and  the 
Union  colors  hoisted  in  its  stead,  and  Old  Abe,  the  liv- 
ing emblem  of  our  free  and  undivided  country,  perched 
on  his  shield  of  stars  and  stripes,  was  placed  in  the 
beautiful  park  in  front  of  the  steps  of  the  capitol  build- 
ing, on  which,  in  other  days,  hundreds  of  human 
beings  had  been  sold  at  auction  into  hopeless  slavery. 

What  a  contrast! 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   SIEGE   OF   VICKSBURG. 

AT  THE  headlong  assault  on  Vicksburg,  a  few  days 
later,  Homaston  tripped  and  fell.  At  the  very  instant 
of  the  fall  a  bullet  struck  Abe  a  glancing  blow  on  the 
breast,  the  shock  of  which  so  frightened  him  that  he 
made  a  desperate  upward  spring,  dragging  Homaston 
some  feet.  Although  both  were  somewhat  injured  by  the 
mishap,  the  wonderful  strength  of  the  bird  saved  Hom- 
aston'slife;  for  as  Abe  dragged  him  along  a  bullet  struck 
the  spot  he  had  that  instant  vacated. 

Noticing  this  series  of  accidents,  Lieut.  Butler  ordered 
a  sergeant  to  watch  Homaston,  and,  if  he  should  be 
killed,  to  secure  Abe  at  all  hazards. 

Recovering  from  the  shock,  Homaston  hurried  along 
to  join  his  company.  Having  done  this  he  planted  the 
perch  on  which  the  eagle  sat,  by  the  side  of  the  colors, 
under  a  large  tree  in  plain  view  of  the  enemy's  guns, 
less  than  a  hundred  rods  distant. 

Evidently  espying  the  eagle  and  colors,  as  one  account 
has  it,  the  rebels  poured  a  special  fire  of  grape  upon  the 
group,  sending  a  well-aimed  shell  which  struck  the  top 
of  the  tree  and  cut  it  off  and  burst,  with  a  horrid  scat- 
tering, the  pieces  tearing  many  holes  in  the  flag,  and 
killing  several,  among  whom  were  Lieut.  W.  D.  Chap- 
man, of  Company  F,  and  Capt.  Stephen  Estee,  of  Com- 

40 


THE  SIEGE   OF  VICKSBURG.  41 

pany  H.  The  eagle  sprung  for  a  flight  again,  but  was 
held  fast,  and  both  he  and  his  bearer  escaped  unharmed. 
Lowering  the  colors  and  eagle,  they  lay  down  under  the 
shivered  tree  expecting  annihilation;  but,  resolving  to  die 
at  the  best  price,  continued  to  fire  upon  the  enemy. 
Finally  an  adjutant  rode  briskly  to  the  spot  and  an- 
nounced the  order  to  "  go  forward  into  the  ravine,  and 
avoid  the  slaughter." 

The  regiment  recoiled  over  swaths  of  the  slain,  receiv- 
ing an  appalling  storm  of  shot.  Many  fell,  but  Old  Abe 
and  his  bearer  came  out  without  a  scratch. 

As  the  crowd  gathered  in  the  ravine,  a  soldier,  chuck- 
ling over  his  trophy,  brought  a  live  rabbit  which  he  had 
caught  in  the  bushes.  "Here,  Abe!"  said  he,  "you've 
earned  this  fellow,"  and  threw  it  to  the  perch.  The  eagle 
caught  it  in  his  claws,  and  there,  amidst  the  rage  of  bat- 
tle, as  shell  and  shot  were  playing  overhead,  he  devoured 
his  prey,  heedless  of  noise  and  excitement.  His  self- 
possessed  demeanor  pleased  the  boys,  it  was  so  brave  and 
military. 

Leaving  the  eagle  to  enjoy  his  meal,  the  bearer  took 
several  canteens  to  fill  with  water  at  a  spring  directly 
under  the  enemy's  guns.  Whilst  busy  with  this  a  shell 
fell  near  him  with  thundering  crash  and  exploded,  hitting 
his  canteen  and  dashing  it  to  pieces.  Paying  no  atten- 
tion to  it,  he  deliberately  went  on  filling  the  remainder. 
"You  take  it  cool,  Ed,"  said  a  soldier  standing  by. 
"  Yes,  cool  place,  this,"  replied  Ed;  "  but  run  and  see  if 


42      OLD  ABE,  THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR    EAGLE. 

Abe  is  hurt ! "  The  pet  bird  was  still  uninjured,  gorging 
on  his  rabbit. 

So  it  was  everywhere;  the  soldiers  often  forgot  them- 
selves, but  never  forgot  Abe,  their  playmate  in  camp  and 
their  companion  and  emblem  of  victory  in  battle. 

Finally,  after  forty-six  days  of  struggle  and  priva- 
tion, hardship  and  peril,  and  during  sixteen  days  of 
which  the  average  for  each  man  was  but  a  single  cracker 
per  day,  the  federal  army,  with  the  Black  Eagle  of  Illi- 
nois* at  its  head  and  the  bald  eagle  of  Wisconsin  scream- 
ing at  his  left,  entered  Vicksburg  amidst  wild  huzzas  and 
the  blare  of  trumpets,  on  July  4,  1863. 

The  Eagle  Regiment  now  turned  further  south. 

*  Gen.  John  A.  Logan. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE   RED   RIVER   AND   OTHER   EXPEDITIONS. 

WHILE  stationed  at  Messenger's  Ford,  during  the  lat- 
ter part  of  July,  to  protect  property  and  life  against 
guerrilla  hordes,  a  squad  of  the  Ninety-third  Illinois 
came  to  see  the  eagle.  Having  heard  of  his  dislike  of 
strangers,  they  were  careful  not  to  approach  within  the 
length  of  his  cord.  But  the  boys  of  the  Eighth,  ever 
alert  for  fun,  importuned  one  of  the  visitors  to  throw  up 
his  cap  and  "  see  the  eagle  catch  it." 

Abe  sat  in  a  tree  surveying  his  guests  with  severe 
scrutiny.  Up  went  the  cap,  when  the  bird,  catching  it 
with  his  claws  and  glancing  down  at  the  soldier  with  a 
roguish  whistle,  trampled  it  under  his  feet,  hovering  and 
rustling  his  wings.  Then  tearing  it  up  with  his  beak, 
he  flung  the  shreds  down  with  a  disdainful  chuckle. 
Soon  after  this  incident,  while  Abe  was  on  his  perch 
surveying  the  trappings  of  war,  a  Negro  passed  under 
him  carelessly.  Quick  as  a  flash  he  reached  down  and 
caught  the  darkey's  cap  and  ripped  it  to  threads  with 
many  demonstrations  of  satisfaction. 

Long,  severe  campaigning  and  absence  from  home  and 
the  influence  of  loved  ones,  frequently  lead  soldiers  to 
do  things  that,  in  the  quiet  decorum  of  peace,  may  not 
be  considered  entirely  orthodox.  In  this  respect  Abe 
was  like  his  companions. 


•13 


44      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN  WAR    EAGLE. 

At  Bear  Creek  he  discovered  a  cup  of  peach  brandy 
near  a  tent,  which,  at  an  opportune  moment,  he  quickly 
swallowed.  Whoever  has  seen  a  fifteen-year-old  boy 
on  his  first  drunk  will  know  just  what  a  figure  Old 
Abe  cut. 

His  eye  lost  its  fierce  penetration  and  his  feathers 
were  drooping  and  disheveled.  He  tumbled  and 
retched,  lay  flat  on  his  side,  lolled  and  twitched  his 
head — in  short,  made  a  general  fool  of  himself. 

Abe's  antics  were  very  droll  and  laughable,  yet  the 
boys  felt  no  little  humiliation  while  contemplating  the 
spectacle  of  the  king  of  birds  and  the  proud  emblem  of 
their  country  groveling  in  a  drunken  stupor. 

In  September,  1863,  Homaston  resigned,  and  John 
Buckhardt,  a  sturdy  German  of  Eau  Claire,  was  chosen 
eagle-bearer.  He  first  marched  at  the  front,  with  Old 
Abe  above  him,  at  Logan's  victorious  charge  on  Browns- 
ville. 

He  next,  after  guarding  Vicksburg  for  a  time,  went 
on  the  Red  River  expedition.  At  Bayou  de  Glaise,  in 
March,  1864,  the  Creole  people  greeted  the  Northern 
soldiery  with  many  demonstrations  of  loyalty  and 
delight.  He  eyed  their  waving  banners  and  handker- 
chiefs in  a  quizzicaljway,  as  much  as  to  say:  "  We  take 
no  stock  in  your  sudden  loyalty." 

Abe,  screaming,  was  one  of  the  first  to  scale  the  ram- 
parts and  invest  Fort  de  Russy.  Thence  the  march  was 
to  Alexandria,  where,  the  eagle  having  become  so 
famous,  there  arose  a  general  clamor  to  have  him 


THE   RED   RIVER   AND   OTHER   EXPEDITIONS.  45 

become  the  property  of  the  entire  regiment,  so  each 
company  could  in  turn  have  the  honor  of  carrying,  pro- 
tecting and  fighting  under  him. 

To  this  proposition  Company  C  protested  with  spirit. 
They  simply  wouldn't  have  any  such  plan  carried  out, 
and  presented  to  Gen.  Mower  an  elaborate  document  in 
writing,  setting  forth  the  manner  in  which  they  origi- 
nally came  into  possession  of  the  coveted  emblem  at 
Eau  Claire,  how  they  had  cared  for  and  clung  to  him 
for  over  two  years,  and  ending  with  a  square  declaration 
that  Old  Abe  could  not  be  had  by  peaceable  means. 

That  did  the  business,  Gen.  Mower  deciding  at  once 
that  Company  C  was  the  rightful  owner  of  the  bird. 

At  Henderson's  Hill  Gen.  Mower  came  upon  the 
enemy  strongly  entrenched.  He  dared  not  attack  them 
in  front,  so  marched  stealthily  by  night  fifteen  miles 
through  a  swamp,  to  reach  the  rear  of  the  stronghold. 

Suddenly,  at  midnight,  while  the  boys  were  creeping 
along,  Abe  gave  his  note  of  alarm.  It  was  unmistak- 
able— short,  sharp  and  startling.  They  listened,  heard 
a  footstep,  and  prepared  for  an  emergency.  It  was  a 
confederate  courier  with  dispatches  to  Gen.  Taylor,  ask- 
ing for  re-inforcements. 

Thinking,  very  naturally,  in  the  darkness,  that  he 
had  fallen  in  with  confederates,  he  gave  the  confederate 
countersign  and  was  captured. 

Although  enraged  at  the  eagle,  the  Yankees  and  fate, 
he  was  compelled  to  lead  the  way  back  to  the  fort,  where 
Abe  had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing  the  capture  of  the 


46      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR    EAGLE. 

entire  garrison,  with  its  horses,  arms,  ammunition  and 
stores. 

As  some  delicate  eagle  food  was  among  the  trophies, 
Abe  had  a  feast  to  pay  for  his  good  work. 

Proceeding  on  their  journey  up  the  Red  River,  the 
boys  found  the  enemy  at  Grand  Ecore.  Here  another 
dispute  arose  as  to  what  company  should  carry  Old  Abe, 
Company  C  having  been  detailed  as  provost  guard  at 
division  headquarters. 

At  last,  with  the  regimental  colors,  he  was  assigned 
to  Company  I  during  the  period  covered  by  guard  duty, 
and  that  was  the  only  time  Abe  was  out  of  the  possession 
of  the  company  in  which  he  enlisted  and  to  which  he 
clearly  belonged. 

From  this  time  to  May  24,  1864,  when  Abe  and  his 
regiment  reached  Vicksburg,  the  boys  saw  much  hard 
fighting  and  much  sickness.  Nor  was  this  all.  Their 
rations  were  short — sometimes  very  short — and  their 
clothing  wholly  insufficient;  yet  the  tireless  spirit  and 
unwavering  courage  of  Old  Abe  kept  them  up. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

OLD  ABE  AT  HOME  ON  A  FURLOUGH. 

IT  WAS  now  time  to  consider  the  question  of  re-enlist- 
ment. Would  the  fragments  of  the  Eagle  Regiment  re- 
enlist?  There  was  but  one  answer.  Of  course  they 
would.  They  would  veteranize,  secure  a  thirty-day 
furlough  in  which  to  visit  their  homes,  and  then  return 
to  complete  the  overthrow  of  treason. 

Accordingly  on  June  19,  1864,  the  veterans  and  their 
eagle  left  Memphis  for  Wisconsin.  Before  reaching 
Madison  the  State  authorities  had  been  notified  of  their 
approach,  and  prepared  to  extend  a  royal  welcome.  An 
extract  from  the  Wisconsin  State  Journal  describes  the 
scene : 

The  re-enlisted  veterans  of  the  Eighth  Wisconsin  regiment 
arrived  on  the  afternoon  train,  Tuesday,  and  after  a  good  din- 
ner prepared  for  them  at  Mosher's  Railroad  House,  marched 
up  town  to  the  Capitol  Park,  where  the  reception  took  place 
a  little  after  (i  o'clock.  A  large  concourse  of  citizens  had 
assembled  to  witness  the  spectacle.  Flags  were  displayed 
along  the  streets,  the  bells  of  the  city  rung,  and  the  national 
salute  fired. 

The  live  eagle,  Old  Abe,  and  the  tattered  and  riddled  colors 
of  the  regiment  attracted  all  eyes.  Since  we  first  saw  him  at 
Camp  Randall,  in  1861,  Old  Abe  has  grown  considerably,  and 
has  acquired  dignity  and  ease  of  bearing.  He  sits  on  his  perch 
undisturbed  by  any  noise  or  tumult,  the  impersonation  of 
haughty  defiance.  He  has  shared  all  the  long  marches  of  this 
regiment,  including  Sherman's  great  raid  and  the  campaign 
np  Red  River,  and  passed  through  a  great  number  of  battles, 
in  which  he  has  once  or  twice  had  some  of  his  feathers  shot 
away,  but  has  never  received  a  scratch  from  a  rebel  bullet 
sufficient  to  draw  blood.  He  is  the  pet  of  the  whole  regiment. 

47 


48      OLD   ABE,  THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN  WAR    EAGLE. 

Gen .  Lucius  Fairchild,  in  his  eloquent  address  to  the 
veterans,  thus  spoke  of  the  bird: 

We  welcome  your  eagle,  that  national  emblem  whose  fame 
has  been  widely  spread  and  become  historic  through  pen  and 
song.  I  have  often  wondered  what  sensations  must  have  filled 
the  minds  of  rebels  as  you  bore  him  proudly  with  your  regi- 
ment, and  while  they  remember  the  present  attitude  they 
maintain  toward  our  government,  one  would  think  that  the 
very  sight  of  Old  Abe  would  cause  them  to  hide  their  heads 
in  shame.  Bear  him  ever  aloft  with  your  advancing  shout, 
and  let  the  rebels  remember — yes,  teach  them  that — 

"  Ne'er  shall  the  rage  of  the  conflict  be  o'er, 

And  ne'er  shall  the  warm  blood  of  life  cease  to  flow — 
Arid  still  'mid  the  smoke  of  the  battle  shall  soar 
Our  eagle— till  scattered  and  fled  be  the  foe." 

At  the  conclusion  of  Gen.  Fairchild's  remarks,  Col. 
Jefferson  briefly  responded,  returning  the  thanks  of  the 
regiment  for  the  cordial  welcome  that  had  been  extended, 
and  proposed  "  three  cheers  and  an  eagle  "  for  the  Union, 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  the  State  officers 
of  Wisconsin.  Three  cheers  were  given  with  "great  en- 
thusiasm by  the  boys  of  the  Eighth.  The  eagle  evi- 
dently understood  his  part,  for  at  the  third  hurrah  he 
stretched  himself  to  his  full  height  and  expanded  his 
wings  to  the  utmost. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  Sunday,  June  26,  a  remnant 
of  Company  C  and  Old  Abe  arrived  at  Eau  Claire,  and 
were  greeted  with  booming  cannon,  martial  music,  patri- 
otic songs,  and  an  abundant  feast. 

Abe  was  given  a  pleasant  place  in  a  spacious  yard 
under  a  large  oak,  where  he  received  old  acquaintances 
with  his  usual  dignity — so  much  dignity,  in  fact,  that 
scarcely  anyone  dared  to  go  near  him.  He  had  been 


OLD  ABE  AT  HOME  ON  A  FURLOUGH.       49 

bothered  so  much  by  strangers  that  whenever  anyone 
not  known  to  be  a  friend  approached,  there  was  an 
unmistakable  demonstration  of  war. 

After  receiving  a  visit  from  nearly  every  citizen  and 
laudation  from  every  newspaper  in  Eau  Claire,  Abe  was 
transported  to  his  native  county  of  Chippewa,*  but  his 
captors,  Chief  Sky  and  Thunder  of  Bees,  who,  in  placing 
upon  him  the  chains  of  slavery  had  given  him  greater 
fame  than  any  other  bird  ever  mentioned  in  history, 
were  not  present  to  greet  him. 

Every  newspaper  in  Wisconsin  now  contained  articles 
about  the  war-eagle,  and  people  went  long  distances  to 
look  upon  the  bird  that  had  ridden  at  the  front  of  battle 
and  whose  name  was  as  familiar  as  that  of  President 
Lincoln. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1864,  the  Union  people  celebrated 
our  Day  of  Independence  at  Chippewa  Falls.  The  fur- 
loughed  soldiers  and  Old  Abe  were  present.  A  huge 
wigwam  had  been  constructed  for  the  purpose  of  serv- 
ing a  feast,  the  proceeds  to  go  to  our  suffering  soldiers. 
Headed  by  a  band  of  music  and  the  eagle  on  his  old 
perch  followed  by  his  companions  in  arms,  the  enthusi- 
astic procession  marched  through  the  streets  singing 
patriotic  songs  and  hurrahing  for  the  Union  and  Old 
Abe. 

*  The  spot  011  which  Old  Abe  was  born  is  now  in  Price  County. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

RETURNING   TO   THE   FRONT. 

THE  furloughs  of  those  who  veteranized  expired  and 
the  boys  started  for  the  front  on  or  about  the  1st  of 
August. 

Buckhardt,  with  the  eagle  on  his  perch,  boarded  a 
passenger  train  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railway  in  Chi- 
cago, and  took  a  seat  for  himself  and  Abe.  When  the 
conductor  appeared — a  surly  fellow  declared  by  the  boys 
to  be  a  copperhead — he  demanded  full  fare  for  Abe. 
Buckhardt  tendered  his  own  fare,  but  refused  to  pay  for 
his  companion. 

"  Pay  for  that  thing,  or  I'll  put  you  both  out!  "  mut- 
tered the  enraged  conductor,  placing  his  hand  with 
heavy  force  upon  the  bearer's  shoulder. 

"  Te  eakel  is  von  free  pirdt — free  'Merigan  eakel — und 
he  ride  free,  too,"  responded  John,  with  some  emphasis. 

Matters  grew  squally.  The  conductor  seized  John  by 
the  collar,  when,  with  a  menace,  several  soldiers  circled 
around,  demanding  fair  play.  Seeing  this  unlooked-for 
demonstration,  and  realizing  that  nearly  all  the  passen- 
gers sympathized  with  the  German,  the  conductor 
showed  his  valor  by  sliding  into  another  car. 

This  incident  afforded  a  deal  of  amusement  for  the 
passengers,  many  of  whom  gave  John  money  with 

50 


RETURNING   TO   THE   FRONT.  51 

which  to  buy  meat  for  Abe,  who  continued  unmolested 
as  a  first-class  passenger  to  Cairo. 

While  at  home  on  his  furlough  Abe  underwent  a 
marked  change  in  appearance.  The  reason  for  this  may 
as  well  be  stated  here  as  elsewhere,  to  do  which  we  shall 
quote  Maria  I.  Cummings  in  Our  Young  Folks  : 

Old  Abe  belongs  to  the  bald-headed,  or  more  correctly,  the 
white-headed  family,  a  species  that  in  some  respects  are  all 
young  veterans,  inasmuch  as,  at  three  or  four  years  old,  their 
head-feathers,  which  were  originally  brown,  have  become 
snowy  white,  giving  them  a  dignified  and  venerable  appear- 
ance. The  other  name  of  bald-head  is  derived  from  a  spot 
between  the  beak  and  eyes,  which  is  almost  wholly  destitute 
of  feathers,  so  that  the  bald  eagle,  which  is  the  emblem  of 
America,  assumes  in  his  youth  the  honors  which  belong 
to  a  bald  head  and  a  hoary  crown,  although  one  would  think 
he  might  afford  to  wait  longer  for  them,  as  the  eagle  is  a  very 
long-lived  bird,  instances  having  been  known  of  his  living  to 
be  a  hundred  years  old. 

And  so  with  the  country  of  which  the  bald-head  is  the 
representative.  Although  America  is  a  young  nation,  she  has 
had  so  much  experience  and  has  progressed  so  much  faster 
than  the  nations  of  the  Old  World,  that,  if  she  could  see  her- 
self in  the  mirror  of  history,  she  would  appear  with  a  fresh, 
ruddy  face  and  a  strong  frame,  but  a  little  wrinkled  and  bald 
about  the  temples,  and  with  hair  which  care  and  anxiety  have 
turned  prematurely  gray.  But  long  life  to  her,  and  a  high 
place  among  the  nations  !  and  if  she,  too,  has  become  a  veteran 
in  her  youth,  may  it  be  with  her  as  with  our  eagle — only  the 
courage,  strength  and  wisdom  which  she  has  acquired  on  her 
many  hard-fought  fields  entitle  her  to  the  name. 

Abe  participated  in  but  one  more  engagement,  which 
is  thus  described  in  J.  0.  Barrett's  "Old  Abe's  Last 
Battle  "  : 

Rallying  again  around  the  flag  and  the  eagle  in  Gen.  A.  J. 
Smith's  Division,  there  was  a  rush,  on  August  13,  1864,  after 
Forrest  and  his  hosts.  Crossing  the  Tallahatchie  River  and 
skirmishing  near  Abbeville— Old  Abe,  on  his  war-shield,  car- 
ried by  Mr.  Buckhardt— the  Union  army  met  the  enemy  at 


52      OLD   ABE,    THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN  WAR   EAGLE. 

Hurricane  Creek,  Miss.  Having  two  batteries  on  a  distant 
eminence  to  back  his  advance,  Gen.  Joseph  A.  Mower,  who 
had  so  long  distinguished  himself,  led  his  faithful  brigade  with- 
in a  mile  of  the  hill  that  peeved  up  a  hundred  feet  above  the 
open  field.  The  batteries  of  the  rival  forces  played  upon 
each  other  until  night,  when,  under  its  cover,  our  cavalry,  by 
an  expert  movement,  flanked  the  rebel  lines  on  both  sides, 
leaving  the  front  open  for  a  charge.  On  they  rushed,  inter- 
cepted by  a  muddy  creek  and  thick  clump  of  alders,  but 
forming  on  the  other  side,  the  steady  columns  moved  like  a 
tornado,  the  Eagles  wheeling  to  the  back  of  the  hill,  when 
Old  Abe,  again  in  all  his  glory,  with  eye  of  lightning,  with 
head  and  neck  elongated  to  swiftest  dash,  with  a  whistle  quick 
and  startling  to  nerve  and  pluck,  charged  with  them  up,  up 
the  ramparts,  flinging  the  enemy  off  as  with  the  sweep  of  an 
eagle's  wing,  frightened,  dismayed,  broken,  narrowly  escaping 
at  a  fearful  loss.  As  the  dead  and  wounded  lay  side  by  side — 
brothers  there,  as  by  right  they  should  be,  at  the  portal  of 
death — the  very  ground  trembled  for  the  shout  of  the  victors, 
while  the  scream  of  the  war-bird  was  heard  clear  and  distinct 
amid  the  general  carnival  of  groans  and  rejoicings. 

This  was  Old  Abe's  last  battle  in  the  Great  Rebellion.  He 
was  the  hero  of  about  twenty-five  great  battles  and  as  many 
skirmishes.  To  what  agency  may  we  attribute  his  "  charmed 
life,"  when  the  story  must  be  told  again  and  again  by  patriot 
sires  to  their  worthy  sons,  that,  though  in  the  fiercest  fights, 
not  a  bearer  of  the  colors  or  of  the  eagle — ever  conspicuous 
marks  for  the  enemy — was  shot  down  ?  The  eagle  seemed  as 
protective  to  these  bearers  as  was  the  standard  of  the  cross  in 
the  battles  of  Constantine.  In  the  great  battle  against  Lucin- 
ius,  which  gave  Constantine  the  undivided  mastery  of  the 
Roman  world,  one  man,  who  in  terror  transferred  the  stand- 
ard to  another,  was  immediately  pierced  by  a  spear,  while  the 
bearer  of  it  passed  on  unhurt  amid  a  shower  of  javelins,  and 
not  a  man  in  its  immediate  neighborhood  was  even  wounded. 
If  the  eagle  could  dodge  bullets,  as  the  soldiers  declare  he 
did,  not  so  the  bearers.  Many  a  sharp-shooter  fired  at  these 
boys,  but  failed  to  kill  one  of  them.  In  the  bloodiest  carnage 
they  and  their  living  standard  were  unharmed.  Did  it  not 
portend  the  preservation  of  the  Union  ? 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

MUSTERED  OUT — WAR  REMINISCENCES. 

RETURNING  to  Memphis  on  the  19th,  in  pursuit  of 
Forrest,  who  was  then  fighting  Gen.  C.  C.  Washburn,  Old 
Abe  parted  with  the  regiment  for  the  last  time.  Hav- 
ing served  the  three  years  for  which  they  enlisted,  a 
portion  of  Company  C  was  to  be  mustered  out.  Now 
the  serious  question  arose:  What  shall  be  done  with 
the  soldier-bird  ?  A  discussion  followed :  some  were  in 
favor  of  giving  him  to  the  county  of  Eau  Claire,  others 
to  the  national  government  at  Washington,  others  still 
to  the  State  of  Wisconsin. 

The  last  proposition  seemed  most  reasonable  and 
just,  and  finally  prevailed  by  a  unanimous  vote.  There- 
fore, twenty -six  of  Company  C,  with  their  precious 
charge,  started  for  the  North.  They  reached  Chicago 
on  September  21,  1864,  where  Buckhardt  resigned  his 
commission  and  was  succeeded  by  John  F.  Hill  as 
bearer. 

Having  been  severely  wounded  at  Corinth,  John  was 
compelled  to  rest  occasionally  at  the  street  corners, 
where  crowds  of  citizens  gathered  eagerly  to  listen  to 
the  story  of  Old  Abe's  career,  for  his  fame  was  in  every- 
body's mouth. 

Arriving  at  Madison  on  September  22,  the  scarred 
and  weary  soldiers  were  paid  for  their  services  and  dis- 

55 


56      OLD   ABE,   THE     EIGHTH   WISCONSIN  WAR   EAGLE. 

charged.  The  State  authorities  then  turned  their  atten- 
tion to  Abe.  Still  clinging  to  the  perch  on  which  he 
was  mustered  in,  and  which  he  had  learned  to  ride  with 
dignity  and  grace,  the  eagle  was  borne  through  the 
shady  avenues  of  the  park  and  into  the  wide,  cool  aisles 
of  the  capitol,  where,  as  though  he  were  a  king,  he  was 
met  by  Gov.  James  T.  Lewis  and  Quartermaster-Gen- 
eral N.  F.  Lund.  The  official  account  of  the  latter  fur- 
nishes some  interesting  information,  as  follows  : 

MADISON,  Sept.  26,  1864. 

Received  from  the  governor  the  live  eagle,  Old  Abe,  of  the 
Eighth  Reg't  Wis.  Vol.  Infantry. 

The  eagle  was  formally  presented  to  the  governor,  in  his 
office,  to-day  at  3  o'clock,  by  Capt.  Victor  AVolf,  of  Com- 
pany C,  in  behalf  of  the  company  and  the  regiment,  the  above 
named  company  having  brought  the  eagle  into  Camp  Randall, 
in  [September,  1861,  from  Eau  Claire,  and  carried  him  through 
all  the  marches  and  battles  of  the  regiment  since  that  time. 
This  having  been  the  color  company,  the  eagle  has  been  borne 
by  them  beside  the  colors  of  the  regiment.  The  majority  of 
the  company  had  within  the  past  three  days  been  paid  off  and 
mustered  out  of  service.  They  arrived  here  on  the  22d  inst. 
In  presenting  the  eagle  to  the  governor,  Capt.  Wolf  said  he 
had  been  a  good  soldier,  and  never  had  flinched  in  battle  or 
march;  that  he  had  been  well  cared  for  by  Company  C,  and 
he  hoped  he  would  be  as  well  taken  care  of  by  the  State.  In 
reply,  the  governor  assured  the  captain  that  the  eagle  should 
be  well  and  carefully  taken  care  of  and  as  safely  kept  as  possi- 
ble, as  long  as  he  lived.  N.  F.  LUND, 

Quartermaster-  General. 

Old  Abe's  fighting  days  were  now  over,  yet  we  may 
with  interest  refer  a  little  further  to  his  military  career, 
especially  to  a  description  of  his  appearance  in  battle, 
quoting  again  from  Barrett's  brochure  : 

The  constant  excitement  of  march  and  battle,  of  the  hur- 
rying and  affrighted  populace,  roused  all  the  native  fire  and 
inspiration  of  our  military  bird.  His  appearance  was  per- 


MUSTERED   OUT — WAR  REMINISCENCES.  57 

feclly  magnificent.  To  be  seen  in  all  his  glory  was  when 
the  battle  commenced.  At  the  sound  of  the  regimental  bugle, 
which  he  had  learned  to  recognize,  however  engaged  he  might 
be,  he  would  start  suddenly,  dart  up  his  head,  and  then  bend 
it  gracefully,  anticipating  the  coming  shock;  and  when  con- 
scious of  its  reality,  his  eyes  would  flash  with  uncommon 
luster.  Then,  with  a  silent,  excited  animation  he  would  sur- 
vey the  moving  squadrons,  and,  as  they  rushed  into  line,  his 
breast  would  tremble  like  the  human  heart,  intensified  to 
warring  action  between  hope  and  fear— and  undaunted  sus- 
pense— a  blending  of  caution  and  courage,  a  precipitancy 
of  will,  inspiring  and  sublime.  Click  would  go  a  thousand 
locks,  and  he  would  turn  again,  curving  that  majestic  neck, 
scrutinizing  the  ranks,  and  dipping  his  brow  forward  to  await 
the  crash;  and  when  it  came,  rolling  fiery  thunder  over  the 
plain,  he  would  spring  up  and  spread  his  pinions,  uttering  his 
startling  scream,  heard,  felt  and  gloried  in  by  the  soldiers. 
As  the  smoke  enveloped  him  he  would  appear  to  be  bewil- 
dered for  a  moment,  but  when  it  opened  again,  folding  up  from 
the  soldiers  like  a  curtain,  he  would  look  down  intently,  as  if 
inquiring:  "How  goes  the  battle,  boys?  What  of  that  last 
charge  ?  " 

Said  a  writer  in  the  Washington  Chronicle,  who  was 
often  with  Abe  in  battle  : 

As  the  engagement  waxed  hot,  as  the  roar  of  the  heavy 
guns  shook  the  earth,  and  the  rattle  of  small  arms  pierced  the 
dim  and  sulphurous  cloud  that  hung  about  the  line  of  battle, 
the  eagle  would  flap  his  wings  and  mingle  his  voice  with  the 
tumult  in  the  fiercest  and  wildest  of  his  screams. 

Wrote  another : 

When  the  battle  is  commenced,  the  eagle,  with  spread 
pinions,  jumps  up  and  down  on  his  perch,  uttering  such  wild, 
fearful  screams  as  an  eagle  alone  can  utter.  The  fiercer  ana 
louder  the  storm  of  battle,  the  fiercer,  wilder  and  louder  the 
screams.  What  a  grand  history  he  will  have — what  a  grand 
eagle  he  will  be  a  hundred  years  hence!  Pilgrims  will  come 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  to  see  the  eagle  that  was  borne 
through  this,  our  second  war  for  independence. 

Said  an  article  in  Harper's  Weekly: 

When  the  battle  raged  most  fiercely,  and  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  soldiers  was  at  its  highest,  then  it  was  that  Old  Abe 


58      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR  EAGLE. 

seemed  to  be  in  his  own  element.  He  flapped  his  wings  in 
the  midst  of  the  furious  storm,  and,  with  head  erect,  faced  the 
flying  bullets  and  the  crashing  shells  with  no  signs  of  fear. 
Old  Abe  triumphs  with  the  triumph  of  the  flag,  and  seems  in 
some  measure  conscious  of  his  relationship  with  the  emblem 
of  a  victorious  Republic. 

Col.  J.  W.  Jefferson  testified: 

Old  Abe  was  with  the  command  in  nearly  every  action. 
He  enjoyed  the  excitement;  and  I  am  convinced,  from  his  pe- 
culiar manner,  he  was  well  informed  in  regard  to  army  move- 
ments, dress  parade  and  preparations  for  the  march  and  battle. 
Upon  parade,  after  he  had  been  a  year  in  the  service,  he  al- 
ways gave  heed  to  "Attention!  "  With  his  head  obliquely  to  the 
front,  his  right  eye  directly  turned  upon  the  parade  com- 
mander, he  would  listen  to  and  obey  orders,  noting  time  accu- 
rately. After  parade  had  been  dismissed,  and  the  ranks  were 
being  closed  by  the  sergeants,  he  would  lay  aside  his  soldierly 
manner,  flap  his  wings,  and  make  himself  generally  at  home. 
When  there  was  an  order  to  form  for  battle,  he  and  the  colors 
were  first  upon  the  line.  His  actions  upon  those  occasions 
were  uneasy,  his  head  turning  anxiously  from  right  to  left, 
looking  to  see  when  the  line  was  completed.  Soon  as  the 
regiment  got  ready,  faced  and  put  in  march,  he  would  assume 
a  steady  and  quiet  demeanor.  In  battle  he  was  almost  con- 
stantly flapping  his  wings,  haying  his  mouth  wide  open,  and 
many  a  time  would  scream  with  wild  enthusiasm.  This  was 
particularly  so  at  the  hard-fought  battle  of  Corinth,  when  our 
regiment  repulsed  and  charged,  or,  you  might  say,  made  a 
counter-charge  on  Price's  famous  Missouri  brigade. 

David  McLane,  one  of  his  bearers,  also  wrote  : 

The  eagle  seems  to  have  a  dread,  like  all  old  soldiers,  of 
heavy  musketry;  but  is  in  all  his  glory  when  the  roar  of  artil- 
lery commences.  I  have  had  him  up  to  batteries  when  they 
were  firing  into  the  rebel  ranks  as  fast  as  they  could  load,  and 
then  he  would  scream,  spread  his  wings  at  every  discharge, 
and  revel  in  the  smoke  and  roar  of  the  big  guns. 

Gen.  Lucius  Fairchild,  in  his  welcome-home  address, 
said: 

I  have  often  wondered  what  sensations  must  have  filled  the 
minds  of  rebels  as  you  bore  him  proudly  with  your  regiment; 
and  while  they  remember  the  present  attitude  they  maintain 
toward  our  government,  one  would  think  that  the  very  sight 
of  Old  Abe  would  cause  them  to  hide  their  heads  in  shame. 


MUSTERED   OUT — WAR   REMINISCENCES.  59 

Gen.  Fairchild  was  not  far  amiss.  At  Memphis  and 
other  places  the  confederate  citizens  showed  great  respect 
for  Abe,  purchasing  meat  for  his  dinner,  though  contin- 
ually arrayed  in  hostility  against  him. 

The  confederate  soldiery,  too,  both  feared  and  re- 
spected Old  Abe,  as  the  following  incident,  written  by 
Lieut.  Lansing  for  the  New  York  Ledger,  will  show: 

The  only  time  I  ever  saw  the  eagle  was  at  the  rear  of  Vicks- 
burg,  just  before  it  was  carried  on  the  field  at  Champion  Hills, 
during  which  engagement  he  was  seen  by  thousands  of  soldiers, 
both  federal  and  rebel.  There  are  many  stories  circulating 
among  the  soldiers  relative  to  the  sensations  and  sad,  regret- 
ful longings  for  loyalty  and  peace  excited  in  the  rebel  soldier's 
heart,  on  beholding  the  American  eagle  hovering  over  the 
avenging  army.  To  listen  to  them,  as  told  by  the  private  sol- 
dier, while  sitting  by  his  camp-fire,  they  are  intensely  inter- 
esting to  the  loyal  mind,  and  I  wish  I  had  the  power  to  repro- 
duce them  with  equal  effect;  but  my  pen  must  acknowledge 
its  weakness.  There  is  one  incident,  however,  that  came  un- 
der my  own  observation.  A  large  wooden  building  in  the 
rear  of  the  field  at  Big  Black  Ridge  was  filled  with  rebel 
wounded,  and  after  our  own  soldiers'  wounds  were  dressed,  I 
was  sent  thither  for  duty.  While  extracting  a  ball  from  a 
rebel's  leg,  I  was  much  surprised  to  find  it  round,  and  a  buck- 
shot imbedded  in  the  flesh  with  it,  an  indication  of  having 
come  from  rebel  guns.  It  had  entered  at  the  back  part  of  the 
thigh,  and  made  its  appearance  just  beneath  the  skin  on  the 
fore-side.  As  I  cut  on  it  and  learned  its  nature,  I  inquired 
of  the  man  how  he  received  it — for  I  was  impressed  with  the 
belief  that  it  was  not  discharged  from  a  Yankee  gun.  "  Well, 
sir,"  said  he,  "I  have  always  been  a  great  lover  of  French  and 
American  history,  in  which  the  eagle  figures  so  extensively  as 
an  emblem  of  freedom;  and  when  I  saw  a  live  eagle  floating 
and  fluttering  over  your  soldiers  yesterday,  Justin  front  of  my 
regiment,  all  my  old  love  of  American  freedom  and  loyalty 
returned;  and  shortly  after,  when  we  were  obliged  to  run,  I 
believed  our  cause  was  unjust,  and  so  haunted  was  I  with 
thoughts  of  disloyalty,  and  being  an  enemy,  too,  and  fighting 
against  that  eagle,  that  I  determined  to  desert  the  rebel  cause 
and  come  to  his  protection  !  The  first  opportunity  I  saw  was 
this  morning,  when  I  made  a  rush  for  your  lines,  and  was 
fired  on  by  one  of  our  men." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  WAYS  OF  PEACE — NORTHWESTERN  SANITARY  FAIR. 

"PEACE  hath  her  victories  no  less  renowned  than 
war."  As  often  as  he  cheered  and  brightened  the 
Union  boys,  and  as  much  as  he  exasperated  and  dis- 
couraged the  confederates,  Abe's  civil  was  far  more  use- 
ful to  his  country  than  his  military  career. 

His  presence  at  sanitary  fairs  and  his  numerous 
triumphant  journeys  through  the  country  accomplished 
as  much  for  charity  and  did  as  much  to  awaken  patri- 
otism and  elevate  our  regard  for  the  soldier,  as  any  other 
agency. 

During  the  winter  of  1864-5  the  enterprising  and 
patriotic  ladies  of  the  Northwestern  Sanitary  Commis- 
sion projected  a  great  fair  at  Chicago,  the  proceeds 
to  be  devoted  to  sick  and  wounded  soldiers. 

J.  0.  Barrett,  of  Glenbeulah,  Wisconsin,  suggested  to 
Gov.  James  T.  Lewis  that  Abe's  presence  at  the  fair 
would  prove  an  additional  attraction  and  source  of  rev- 
enue. The  governor  coincided  with  this  view. 

Accordingly,  in  charge  of  John  H.  McFarland,  state 
armorer,  and  John  F.  Hill,  attendant,  Abe  marched 
away  to  Chicago  amidst  swords,  guns  and  tattered  flags, 
and  was  given  the  place  of  honor,  surrounded  by  para- 
phernalia of  war  and  specimens  of  our  vast  natural 
resources  from  all  parts  of  the  country. 

60 


THE   WAYS   OF   PEACE — SANITARY   FAIR.  61 

He  proved  even  a  more  potent  attraction  than  had 
been  anticipated.  No  visitor  to  the  fair  went  home 
without  a  close  inspection  of  Old  Abe.  Such  of  his 
feathers  as  naturally  loosened  were  eagerly  sought,  and 
frequently  brought  five  dollars  each. 

Mr.  Barrett  had  prepared  a  little  pamphlet  history  of 
the  bird,  which,  with  his  photographs,  were  sold  by 
A.  L.  Sewall,  and  netted  to  the  fund  for  sick  and  dis- 
abled soldiers  the  handsome  sum  of  $16,000. 

Many  notable  tenders  were  made  at  thfs  time  for  Old 
Abe  himself.  A  western  gentleman  of  wealth  offered 
$10,000,  and  P.  T.  Barnum,  through  Col.  Wood,  of  the 
Chicago  Museum,  offered  $20,000  for  him.  All  advances 
of  this  character  were,  of  course,  rejected. 

The  brave  bird,  sleek  and  well  groomed  as  the  ward 
of  the  State,  received  more  distinguished  homage  than 
any  person  or  thing  at  the  fair.  Benjamin  F.  Taylor 
thus  paid  tribute  to  him  : 

And  there  the  bird  of  our  banner  holds  grand  levee  from 
day  to  day,  his  white  crest  like  the  snowy  plume  of  Henry  of 
Navarre,  that  eye  upon  you  that  can  look  undazzled  on  the 
sun.  The  Eagle  of  Chippewa — the  children  have  plucked  the 
bird  out  of  the  old  flag  and  have  set  him  living  at  the  head  of 
their  legions.  We  bare  our  brow  to  him,  the  grandest  con- 
tributor to  the  fair,  and  we  leave  the  strangely  assorted  group 
to  the  reader:  the  tattered,  bloody  colors  yonder,  and  then 
the  little  shoemaker  that  has  a  heart  in  it,  and  the  eagle  that 
ought  to  have  a  soul  to  be  saved — harmonious  workers  in 
mercy's  sweet  rivalry. 

While  Gen.  Wm.  T.  Sherman  was  addressing  the 
people  at  the  fair,  in  the  main  room  of  the  exposition 
building,  enthusiastic  over  the  recent  victories  of  our 


62      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH    WISCONSIN  WAR   EAGLE. 

arms,  he  mentioned  the  emblems  of  the  nation  around 
him,  and  among  them  the  eagle.  As  he  did  so  he  pre- 
cipitately put  out  his  hand  to  stroke  the  plumage  of  our 
hero-bird,  who  sat  in  proud  but  quiet  dignity  near. 
Abe  wheeled  upon  his  perch  with  a  savage  screech  at 
the  general,  his  white  feathers  ruffled,  prepared  to  fight 
against  such  presumption.  The  vast  audience  roared 
with  laughter,  and  Gen.  Sherman,  quickly  withdrawing 
his  hand,  smilingly  observed:  "I  must  retreat  this 
time." 

So  much  did  the  incidents  of  the  fair  add  to  Abe's 
renown  that  Leonard  W.  Volk,  the  sculptor,  proposed  to 
make  a  statue  of  him.  No  other  eagle  ever  sat  in  life 
for  his  statue.  Volk  himself  has  described  the  inter- 
esting event  thus  : 

In  June,  1865,  Abe  was  brought  to  my  studio,  and  "  posed  " 
on  his  perch  for  a  model  in  clay,  full  size,  of  his  eagleship. 
Think  I  took  six  or  eight  sittings.  I  produced  from  it  a  model 
in  plaster,  with  wings  partly  spread,  and  arranged  to  surmount 
a  monumental  shaft  or  column,  holding  a  flag  in  its  beak,  the 
flag  drooping  down  and  covering  part  of  the  column.  Two  of 
these  were  made  in  marble  for  monuments — one  ordered  by 
the  cadets  of  West  Point  for  a  monument  to  a  deceased  com- 
rade, erected  at  Macomb,  Illinois;  the  other  for  a  soldiers' 
monument — I  forget  where  it  was  erected.  When  at  work  on 
the  model  of  Old  Abe  I  had  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  his 
beak  and  claws.  When  I  applied  the  callipers  to  measure  him, 
and  would  steal  up  to  him  in  front,  rear  or  flank  as  silently  as 
possible,  when  he  appeared  asleep,  instantly  his  keen  eye 
would  open  with  a  flash;  sometimes  he  would  snatch  the  calli- 
pers with  his  claws  from  my  hands  and  drop  them  to  the  floor. 
Occasionally  he  would  give  me  a  dig  with  his  sharp  claws  and 
take  a  piece  of  skin  from  my  hand  with  his  needle-pointed 
beak.  Sometimes  with  a  shrill  screech  he  would  try  and  break 
away  from  his  fastenings,  floundering  about  with  his  powerful 
wings,  which  would  of  course  raise  a  dust  and  knock  things 
about  the  studio  generally,  especially  during  the  absence  of 


THE  WAYS   OP  PEACE — SANITARY  FAIR.  63 

his  keeper.  I  think  he  was  heartily  glad  when  the  sitings 
terminated,  as  he  did  not  appear  to  relish  the  confinement, 
nor  did  he  evince  a  very  high  regard  for  spread-eagle  art. 
But  he  was  a  splendid  old  bird,  and  behaved  himself  quite  as 
well  as  some  other  two-legged  sitters  who  have  honored  my 
studio. 

Mr.  Volk's  model  was  destroyed  by  the  great  fire  of 
1871  in  Chicago. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MILWAUKEE   SOLDIERS5  HOME — SOLDIERS'  ORPHANS'  HOME. 

SOME  time  before  the  close  of  the  war,  Milwaukee 
had  become  a  noted  center  for  disabled  Union  soldiers. 
It  is  stated  that  during  the  last  year  of  the  Rebellion 
more  than  8,000  of  them  were  cared  for  in  a  single 
building  on  West  Water  street. 

This  gave  rise  to  the  idea  of  establishing  in  that 
beautiful  white  city  a  permanent  soldiers'  home.  Accord- 
ingly, before  the  Chicago  fair  had  drawn  to  a  close, 
preparations  were  made,  mostly  by  the  ladies,  for  a 
gigantic  fair  and  bazaar.  John  F.  Hill  transported 
Abe  direct  from  Chicago  to  Milwaukee,  where  he  was 
placed  in  a  large  tent  called  "  Tangle's  Feature,"  presided 
over  by  "  Tangle  "  McCracken,  as  queer  a  genius  as  one 
would  care  to  see. 

In  the  center  of  this  tent  were  extensive  evergreen 
rings,  rising  one  above  another,  and  at  the  topmost  was 
a  pretty  circular  platform  whereon  the  eagle  perched. 
Below  him  were  mud-turtles,  peacocks,  Devon  cows, 
sheep,  cranes,  hawks,  owls,  rabbits,  foxes,  badgers,  doves, 
a  bloodhound,  a  bear,  a  coon  which  the  Twelfth  Wis- 
consin Battery  had  in  the  war  and  afterwards  gave  to 
the  State,  and  three  other  eagles  on  their  several  perches, 


MILWAUKEE   SOLDIERS7    HOME — ORPHANS'   HOME.      65 

of  different  species,  called,  respectively,  Gen.   Grant, 
Phil.  Sheridan  and  Gen.  McClellan . 

Abe  had  the  uppermost  seat  of  honor  and  attracted  the 
most  attention.  The  other  birds  had  neither  character 
nor  history — were  not  warriors  and  diplomatists  like 
Old  Abe,  but  merely  imitated  him  in  a  vulgar  way  by 
assuming  distinguished  names. 

But  at  this  time  Abe  possessed  a  deep  interest  for  the 
people  in  addition  to  that  imparted  by  his  remarkable 
career  of  activity  and  achievement;  he  had  received  the 
name  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  recently  assassinated  by  a 
desperate  confederate,  John  Wilkes  Booth.  Near  him, 
too,  were  the  "  assassination  flags,"  so-called,  loaned  for 
the  occasion,  and  consisting  of  the  banner  in  which 
Booth  caught  his  spur  as  he  leaped  to  the  stage  in 
Ford's  theater,  and  the  one  grasped  by  Lincoln  as  he 
fell  by  the  assassin's  bullet. 

Here  even  the  smallest  feathers  of  Abe's  plumage 
commanded  higher  prices  than  ever,  and  were  eagerly 
sought.  Many  distinguished  people  secured  them  in 
one  way  and  another,  one  being  officially  presented  by 
the  lady  managers  to  Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Butler. 

There  are  few  lovelier  spots  on  the  footstool  than  that 
magnificent  charity,  the  Milwaukee  Branch  of  the  Na- 
tional Soldiers'  Home,  with  its  immense  grounds, 
shaded  with  oaks,  maples  and  elms. 

Old  Abe  materially  helped  to  establish  and  endow 
that  institution,  the  net  proceeds  of  the  fair  being  more 
than  $110,000,  a  goodly  portion  of  which  came  directly 


66      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR   EAGLE. 

from  the  enthusiastic  interest  felt  by  the  people  to  see 
him  and  purchase  his  photographs. 

Louis  P.  Harvey,  a  great-hearted  man,  was  elected 
governor  of  Wisconsin  in  the  fall  after  Beauregard  fired 
upon  Fort  Sumter.  He  took  an  active  part  in  rais- 
ing and  equipping  troops,  and  entered  with  heart  and 
soul  into  the  work  of  defending  the  Union.  Following 
his  soldiers  to  the  South,  in  order  to  see  with  his  own 
eyes  their  sufferings  and  thus  be  able  more  intelli- 
gently to  determine  and  minister  to  their  wants,  he  met 
death  accidently  on  the  Mississippi  River  early  in  the 
spring  of  1862. 

His  wife,  Mrs.  C.  A.  P.  Harvey,  attempted  to  fill  his 
place,  and  did  so  as  far  as  was  in  her  power,  in  allevi- 
ating the  hardships  of  Wisconsin  volunteers,  and  in 
pursuing  this  course  conceived  the  idea  of  erecting  a 
Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home  at  Madison. 

Her  first  step  in  this  direction  was  to  secure  permis- 
sion from  Gov.  Lewis  to  exhibit  Old  Abe  at  the  Wis- 
consin State  Fair  at  Janesville,  in  September,  1865.  The 
quartermaster-general  gave  her  the  use  of  two  large  tents 
and  Wm.  J.  Jones,  a  one-armed  soldier,  was  detailed  to 
take  the  bird  to  the  fair. 

In  one  of  these  tents  Capt.  Jones  perched  the  eagle, 
accompanied  by  a  coon  brought  from  Georgia  by  the 
Twelfth  Wisconsin  Battery,  and,  charging  ten  cents  for 
admission,  cleared  nearly  8500.  In  the  meantime  Mrs. 
Harvey  circulated  a  subscription  paper  and  obtained 


MILWAUKEE   SOLDIERS'  HOME — ORPHANS'  HOME.       67 

such  a  large  sum  of  money  that  the  Home  was  at  once 
begun. 

The  Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home  of  Wisconsin,  located 
on  a  beautiful  shaded  slope  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Mo- 
nona,  was  a  noble  charity,  and  Old  Abe  had  the  lasting 
honor  of  earning  the  first  money  with  which  it  was 
erected. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

PITTSBURGH   AND   PEORIA   GATHERINGS. 

IN  1866,  when  Congress  and  President  Andrew  John- 
son were  in  a  struggle  over  what  means  should  be 
adopted  for  the  proper  reconstruction  of  the  lately  rebell- 
ious states,  a  mass  convention  was  called  to  meet  at 
Pittsburgh,  Penn.,  on  September  25  and  26,  to  "  sustain 
the  measures  adopted  by  Congress  for  the  restoration  of 
the  Union."  It  was  one  of  the  most  magnificent  out- 
bursts of  popular  feeling  ever  manifested  in  the  history 
of  our  country. 

There  were  representatives  from  all  the  Northern 
states  and  some  of  the  Southern — the  great  West  pre- 
ponderating in  numbers — and,  sitting  side  by  side  with 
them  on  the  platform,  to  indicate  the  democratic  spirit 
of  the  convention,  were  such  privates  as  L.  Edwin  Dud- 
ley, "  the  patriotic  clerk  of  Washington;  "  Robert  Hen- 
dershott,  "the  Drummer  Boy  of  the  Rappahannock; " 
John  Burns,  the  famous  hero  of  Gettysburg;  and  Serg. 
Geo.  Robinson,  of  Maine,  who  saved  the  life  of  Secretary 
Seward  on  the  night  of  the  assassination  of  President 
Lincoln. 

Old  Abe  had  been  invited,  and,  of  course,  accepted 
the  invitation  to  be  present.  Having  received  many 
ovations  on  the  journey,  he  reached  Pittsburgh  on  the 

68 


PITTSBURGH   AND   PEORIA   GATHERINGS.  69 

24th  in  care  of  Capt.  McDonald,  and  was  quartered  at 
the  St.  Charles  Hotel  with  a  large  number  of  other  war- 
riors not  less  distinguished  than  himself. 

The  City  Hall,  in  which  the  convention  was  held,  was 
decorated  with  evergreens,  flowers  and  flags.  Between 
the  windows  hung  badges  of  twenty-five  army  corps,  and 
on  the  platform  were  the  emblems  of  war  and  peace — 
white  flags  and  sheaves  of  wheat.  Over  the  entrance  was 
inscribed:  "  There  can  be  no  lasting  peace  while  the  flag  of 
the  Union  can  not  wave  unmolested  over  the  graves  oj  our 
fallen  comrades." 

The  hall  was  densely  packed;  in  one  of  the  aisles 
stood  delegates  from  a  neighborhood  sixty  strong,  every 
one  of  whom  had  been  wounded  in  the  service,  with 
their  colors.  The  jam  of  people  was  so  great  at  the 
door  that  Capt.  McDonald  found  it  almost  impossible 
to  advance  with  his  eagle. 

Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Butler  had  just  begun  a  speech, 
when  the  presiding  officer,  Gen.  J.  D.  Cox,  catching 
sight  of  Abe,  interrupted  and  shouted  to  the  dense 
throng  to  "  make  way  for  the  veteran  war-eagle  of  Wis- 
consin." 

The  crowd  parted  like  magic,  and  McDonald,  with 
Abe  perched  like  winged  Jove  above  his  head,  marched 
up  to  the  platform.  The  audience  arose  and  sent  up 
cheer  upon  cheer,  fairly  splitting  the  air,  while  the  band 
played  martial  music.  Abe,  recalling  the  excitement  of 
other  days  in  which  he  reveled,  flapped  his  wings  and 
sent  forth  his  wildest  scream — such  a  scream  as  was 


70      OLD  ABE,   THE   EIGHTH  WISCONSIN  WAR  EAGLE. 

never  heard  in  the  City  Hall  of  Pittsburgh  before  or 
since. 

On  motion  of  Hannibal  Hamlin,  of  Maine,  Abe  was 
assigned  a  position  near  the  chairman,  where  he 
stretched  up  and  flapped  his  pinions  every  time  the 
people  cheered  Gen.  Butler,  who  was  speaking. 

On  the  evening  of  September  25  a  torchlight  proces- 
sion five  miles  in  length  marched  through  the  city,  led 
by  Gen.  Negley.  "The  streets,"  said  a  newspaper 
account,  "  were  ablaze,  and  filled  for  miles  with  people. 
Such  popular  enthusiasm  has  seldom  been  equaled. 
The  city  was  one  glorious  illumination  of  blazing  ban- 
ners and  sentiments  steeped  in  fire.  There  was  an 
unsurpassed  display  of  beautiful  designs  and  models 
in  brilliant  lights  in  moving  lines." 

Old  Abe,  gayly  decorated  with  red,  white  and  blue, 
sat  on  his  perch  in  an  open  carriage  drawn  by  four  white 
horses.  As  he  moved  along,  the  most  conspicuous  object 
in  the  procession,  the  people  shouted  and  cast  into  his 
carriage  wreaths,  mottoes  and  bouquets  without  number. 
It  was  an  inspiring  scene,  and  one  which  Abe  enjoyed, 
his  eyes  flashing  like  dots  of  lightning. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

OLD  ABE   NOMINATES  GRANT   FOR   PRESIDENT. 

THE  next  public  appearance  of  our  plumaged  warrior 
was  at  Peoria,  111.,  on  October  11,  1866,  whither  he  went 
with  Capt.  A.  G.  Weissert  arid  Capt.  A.  R.  McDonald, 
state  armorer,  to  dedicate  a  soldiers'  monument. 

Forty  thousand  people,  a  large  portion  of  them  vet- 
eran soldiers,  were  present,  and  greeted  Abe  with  shouts 
and  huzzas.  The  great  speeches  were  by  Gen.  John  A. 
Logan,  the  Black  Eagle  of  Illinois,  Col.  Robert  G.  Inger- 
soll  and  Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Butler.  Abe  was  perched 
near  them  on  the  grand  stand,  where  he  cheered  with 
the  crowd  and  in  every  way  added  spirit  to  the  occasion. 

One  of  the  notable  gatherings  of  the  period  was  the 
Soldiers  and  Sailors'  Convention,  which  met  in  Chicago 
on  May  19, 1868.  The  truth  is,  that  caravans  of  soldiers 
gathered  from  all  the  Northern  states  to  demand  the 
nomination  by  the  Republican- Union  National  Conven- 
tion, then  in  session  in  the  same  city,  of  Unconditional 
Surrender  Grant;  and  a  mighty  gathering  it  was, 

The  delegates  marched  in  procession  to  Turner  Hall, 
headed  by  Gen.  Jeremiah  M.  Rusk,  with  the  tattered 
battle-flags  of  Wisconsin,  and  on  his  right  Old  Abe. 

"  The  procession,"  said  a  current  newspaper  account, 
"  was  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  length  and  four  sol- 
diers deep.  The  streets  along  the  entire  route  were 

(4)  71 


72      OLD   ABE,   THE   EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR   EAGLE. 

thronged  with  people.  The  march  was  full  of  life  and 
incident,  the  line  joining  in  singing  their  old  battle- 
songs  as  in  the  Southern  marches.  Upon  entering  the 
hall  the  scene  was  one  of  wild  enthusiasm,  cheer  upon 
cfcteer  being  given  for  the  portrait  of  Grant  which  hung 
over  the  platform,  the  bust  of  Lincoln  which  stood  upon 
the  rostrum,  and  for  Old  Abe,  the  war-eagle." 

As  his  bearer  marched  with  Abe  up  to  the  platform, 
on  which  sat  such  as  John  A.  Logan,  Daniel  E.  Sickles, 
Lucius  Fairchild,  Alfred  Pleasanton,  John  Cochrane  and 
Joseph  B.  Hawley, 

"At  once  there  rose  so  wild  a  yell 
Within  that  dark  and  narrow  dell, 
As  all  the  fiends  from  heaven  that  fell 
Had  pealed  the  banner-cry  of  hell." 

And  in  that  great  shout  there  was  no  sound  so  pierc- 
ing, wild  and  powerful  as  the  scream  of  Old  Abe.  He 
caught  up  the  spirit  of  the  soldiers  and  reveled  in  the 
excitement  and  enthusiasm  of  the  moment.  Said  the 
Chicago  Tribune: 

When  the  resolution  proposing  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant  as  candi- 
date for  the  Presidency  was  passed,  as  the  vast  multitude  rose 
and  cheered,  and  the  band  struck  up  "  Hail  to  the  Chief,"  Old 
Abe,  as  if  understanding  it  all,  stretched  high  his  proud  form 
and  repeatedly  flapped  his  wings  in  approbation  of  the  nomi- 
nation. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CELEBRATIONS    AND   REUNIONS. 

DURING  this  year,  1868,  Eugene  Bowen,  a  one-armed 
veteran  of  the  92d  New  York,  carried  Abe  to  White- 
water, Wis.,  to  participate  in  a  Fourth  of  July  celebra- 
tion. The  bird  rode  on  a  cannon  in  the  procession, 
attracting  much  attention. 

The  weather  was  dry  and  the  streets  dusty.  The 
heat,  the  long  march  and  the  clouds  of  dust  caused  Abe 
to  become  so  thirsty  that  he  whistled  for  water.  It  was 
brought  to  him  in  the  usual  form  of  glass  goblets,  out 
of  which  he  drank  with  evident  satisfaction.  The  pop- 
ulace were  pleased  to  observe  the  eagle  drinking  with 
his  bearer  from  the  same  glass. 

At  a  State  soldiers'  reunion,  held  in  Milwaukee  on 
September  27  and  28,  1870,  Gen.  Harrison  C.  Hobart 
formally  presented  Old  Abe  to  the  audience  while  cheers 
rent  the  air,  and  Col.  Charles  H.  Clark  read  a  poem 
which  contained  a  clever  reference  to  the  bird. 

On  the  following  day,  with  Abe  by  his  side,  Matt.  H. 
Carpenter  addressed,  on  the  fair  grounds,  thirty  thou- 
sand people.  The  eagle  was  cheered  everywhere,  and 
was  showered  also  with  sweetmeats  and  knickknacks. 

From  this  period  on  Old  Abe  was  kept  so  constantly 
moving  about  to  fulfill  his  reunion  engagements  that  it  is 

73 


74      OLD   ABE,   THE   EIGHTH   WISCONSIN    WAR   EAGLE. 

almost  impossible  to  follow  him.  He  went  with  Capt. 
McDonald  to  Fond  du  Lac,  Burlington,  La  Crosse, 
Evansville,  Racine,  Neillsville,  and  elsewhere,  and  at- 
tended several  reunions  at  his  home  in  Madison,  and 
was  always  the  center  of  attraction. 

At  the  reunion  of  the  First  Wisconsin  Regiment  in 
Madison  on  February  22,  1872,  Abe  sat  beneath  an 
archway  in  the  Park  Hotel,  scanning  the  crowds  in 
dignified  silence.  He  listened  to  all  the  poems  and  ad- 
dresses without  making  any  demonstration,  but  when 
he  heard  a  ringing  response  to  the  toast,  "  The  federal 
Union — may  wisdom  cement  what  valor  saved,"  he 
stretched  up  and  screamed  his  hearty  approbation. 

In  the  spring  of  1875  Old  Abe  fell  ill  from  neglect 
and  hunger — so  ill,  in  fact,  that  he  was  pushed  aside  as 
dead  by  some  unfeeling,  if  not  hostile,  habitues  of  the 
capitol  at  Madison.  While  in  this  condition  he  was  dis- 
covered by  a  friendly  veteran,  who  wrapped  him  in  a 
warm  blanket  and  for  three  days  nursed  and  watched 
the  old  warrior,  finally  bringing  him  out  all  right. 

But  for  this  timely  discovery  and  tender  vigilance, 
Old  Abe  would  not  have  survived,  having  fallen,  through 
a  change  of  administration,  into  unfriendly  hands. 

He  had  scarcely  recovered  his  full  strength  and  spirit 
when  the  reunion  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
took  place  in  Chicago,  lasting  from  May  11  to  May  14, 
1875,  at  which  he  was  an  honored  guest,  with  head- 
quarters at  the  Grand  Pacific  Hotel  with  Generals  Sher- 


CELEBRATIONS   AND   REUNIONS.  75 

man,  Sheridan,  Hartranft  and  other  distinguished  mili- 
tary leaders. 

On  May  13  occurred  the  procession,  which  was  wit- 
nessed by  150,000  people.  The  Chicago  Times  said  that 
"Abe,  perched  on  his  shield,  was  loudly  cheered  when- 
ever the  crowd  caught  sight  of  him,"  and  that  "  he  fre- 
quently flapped  his  wings  and  looked  majestic." 

The  Tribune  also  observed: 

The  greatest  feature  of  the  procession,  aside  from  the  vete- 
ran organization,  composed  of  men  who  know  what  it  is  to  be 
a  soldier,  and  whose  tattered  regimental  flags  indicated  the 
services  they  had  done,  was  the  war-eagle,  Old  Abe,  a  noted 
leader  of  the  Eighth  Wisconsin;  he  was  the  chief  lion  of  the 
day,  sitting  upon  his  perch  with  immense  dignity,  flapping 
his  wings  and  screaming. 

While  the  procession  was  moving  toward  the  exposi- 
tion building  a  band  of  patriotic  ladies  presented  to  the 
eagle,  who  rode  in  a  splendid  barouche,  a  large  wreath 
of  roses  set  in  evergreens,  which  was  at  once  placed 
around  his  perch.  He  appeared  pleased  with  the  gift, 
scanned  it  closely  and  then  cast  his  flashing  eye  up 
to  the  crowded  balconies  as  much  as  to  say,  "  What  do 
you  think  of  that  ?  " 

During  the  same  year  Abe  attended,  in  state,  an 
extensive  reunion  at  Milwaukee,  during  which,  a  cold 
steady  rain  setting  in,  he  became  so  thoroughly  chilled 
that  he  was  compelled  to  retire  from  the  procession. 
Usually  he  was  a  pretty  rugged  bird,  but  at  this  time, 
probably,  there  still  lingered  about  him  traces  of  the 
spring  congestion  which  came  so  near  taking  his  life. 


76      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR  EAGLE. 

While,  at  these  many  reunions,  the  boys  never  tired 
of  singing  "  Marching  Through  Georgia"  and  other  stir- 
ring songs,  they  frequently  surrounded  Old  Abe  and 
struck  up  L.  J.  Bates'  composition,  music  by  T.  Martin 
Towne,  entitled  "  The  Battle-Eagle:  " 

"  They  come,  but  the  ranks  are  shrunken  and  thiu  ; 
Oh!  large  be  the  welcome  that  gathers  them  in  ! 
They  come  with  the  flags  in  the  glad  sunlight, 
A  cloud  of  peace,  that  is  feathery  white. 
And  still  o'er  the  standards  they  bear  on  high, 
There  hovers  the  Eagle  of  Victory- 
Hurrah  for  the  Eagle,  our  bold  battle-Eagle ! 
The  terror  of  traitors  and  king  of  the  sky  !  " 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

AT   THE   CENTENNIAL. 

IT  WAS  now  time  to  prepare  for  the  magnificent  Cen- 
tennial celebration  which  took  place  at  Philadelphia 
during  the  following  year,  the  hundredth  anniversary  of 
the  birth  of  freedom  in  America;  and  Old  Abe  was 
down  on  all  the  Wisconsin  programmes. 

The  "  Women's  State  Centennial  Executive "  had 
been  appointed,  and  the  people  were  active  everywhere 
throughout  the  State.  For  the  purpose  of  kindling  the 
fires  of  enthusiasm  and  patriotism,  a  meeting  of  the 
Centennial  Club  of  the  State  was  called  to  celebrate 
Independence  Day  at  Madison,  on  the  evening  of 
July  5,  1875. 

For  the  occasion  Mrs.  Ole  Bull,  wife  of  the  famous 
Swedish  violinist,  whose  home  was  in  Madison,  designed 
a  tableau  which  she  called  Old  Abe.  Although,  as  the 
Wisconsin  State  Journal  declared,  "  the  entire  ovation  " 
was  one  of  which  they  "  were  proud  to  speak,"  the  tab- 
leau was  the  principal  feature. 

The  assembly  chamber  in  the  state  capitol  had  been 
transformed  by  artistic  hands  into  a  fairy  grotto,  a  mys- 
terious curtain  hanging  near  the  speaker's  desk. 

"  The  Day  We  Celebrate,"  the  personation  of  King 
George's  time  by  Gen.  Geo.  B.  Smith,  the  floral  exuber- 
ance, the  eloquent  addresses  of  E.  G.  Ryan  and  Col.  W. 

77 


78      OLD   ABE,  THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR   EAGLE. 

B.  Slaughter,  the  representation  of  Gen.  Washington 
making  his  "  first  visit  to  the  fair  young  widow,  Mrs. 
Custis,  who,  with  her  two  children  playing  at  her  feet,  is 
surprised  at  his  entrance,"  the  proffer  of  the  services  of 
Gen.  LaFayette  to  Washington  to  help  fight  the  battles 
of  American  liberty — all  these  were,  indeed,  life-dramas 
of  the  Revolution  seldom  surpassed  in  beauty  of  per- 
sonation. But  another  scene  eclipsed  them  all.  When 
the  curtain  rose,  there  stood  the  famous  war-eagle  on 
his  perch,  surrounded  by  state  and  national  flags  and 
stands  of  arms,  as  the  living  ideal  of  our  prowess  a 
hundred  years  ago.  Maj.  C.  G.  Mayers,  in  the  costume 
of  Paul  Jones,  recited  in  a  very  spirited  manner  a  poem 
by  Lizzie  Doten,  entitled  "  The  Eagle  of  Freedom." 

Under  the  auspices  of  this  same  committee,  Abe 
received  an  invitation  to  attend  a  "  Legislative  Leap- 
year  Party,"  given  in  the  legislative  halls  of  the  capitol 
in  Madison,  on  February  17,  1876. 

The  terpsichorean  drama,  says  J.  0.  Barrett,  opened 
with  the  Marseillaise  hymn,  by  Mrs.  H.  M.  Page, 
who,  attired  in  appropriate  costume,  appeared  as  the 
"  Daughter  of  the  Regiment,"  admirably  singing  and 
tapping  her  drum,  with  accompaniments  by  Bach's 
band.  The  war-bird,  on  his  Centennial  perch,  stood 
one  side,  a  little  in  front  of  the  vivandiere,  listening  with 
a  noticeable  dignity,  animated  most  at  the  sound  of  the 
drum  that  recalled  the  reveille  of  other  days;  and  when 
she  finished  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner,"  feeling  the 


AT   THE   CENTENNIAL.  79 

deep  inspiration  of  the  audience,  he  encored  with  a 
loud  clapping  of  wings. 

Of  course  Old  Abe  was  going  to  the  Centennial. 
The  Wisconsin  Legislature,  by  joint  resolution,  author- 
ized Gov.  Harrison  Ludington  to  detail  a  veteran  sol- 
dier, at  state  expense,  to  take  the  bird  to  Philadelphia 
and  care  for  him  during  the  exposition. 

If  any  person  or  thing  in  this  broad  Republic  was  to 
remain  quietly  at  home  on  such  a  splendid  occasion,  it 
would  not  be  the  plumaged  warrior  of  the  Eighth  Wis- 
consin; so  the  utmost  was  made  of  his  name  and  fame 
everywhere. 

Under  the  legislative  resolution  mentioned,  Gov. 
Ludington  appointed  John  F.  Hill,  of  Eau  Claire,  one 
of  the  first  volunteers  in  the  original  Company  C,  to  go 
with  Abe  to  the  Centennial ;  and  he  took  with  him,  to 
sell  to  the  millions  of  visitors  to  that  stupendous  pano- 
rama of  progress  and  civilization,  many  copies  of  Bar- 
rett's "Old  Abe,"  a  little  book  which  has  been  of  much 
service  in  compiling  the  volume  now  in  hand. 

Minnie  B.  Culver,  of  Madison,  also  painted  a  medall- 
ion of  Abe  for  the  Women's  Department  of  the  Wis- 
consin branch  of  the  Centennial,  concerning  which,  on 
March  26,  1876,  she  herself  wrote  the  following  happy 
letter  : 

The  portrait  of  the  Eighth  Wisconsin  eagle,  which  is  to  be 
painted  for  the  Centennial  Exposition,  I  would  say,  is  to  he 
something  less  than  half  life-size,  on  a  gilt  medallion,  to  he 
framed  in  carved  ebony  and  placed  upon  the  top  of  an  ebony 
cabinet.  This  state  cabinet  is  to  contain  the  books  and  music 


80      OLD   ABE,   THE     EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR   EAGLE. 

written  by  the  women  of  Wisconsin,  also  choice  ornaments 
and  specimens  of  art.  The  panels  in  the  sides  and  doors  of 
the  lower  part  are  to  be  decorated  with  flowers,  grasses  and 
vines,  done  in  oil.  The  upper  part  is  open,  the  shelves  are 
irregular,  after  the  Japanese  style,  and  are  surrounded  by  ele- 
gant hand-carving,  executed  by  Mr.  G.  Haug,  of  Milwaukee. 
On  Wednesday,  the  15th  of  March,  Old  Abe  honored  me  with 
a  sitting;  he  was  attended  by  his  keeper,  to  whom  he  seems 
greatly  attached.  I  was  astonished  at  the  color  and  expres- 
sion of  his  eye,  which  forcibly  reminded  me  of  the  description 
given  by  a  countryman,  who  said,  "  The  eagle  has  a  shrill 
eye!  "  and  at  the  size  and  cruel  strength  of  his  beak,  which 
had  the  appearance  of  yellow  ivory.  The  sharp  look  of  inquiry 
he  gave  me  seemed  to  ask,  "  what  is  all  this  bother  about,  any- 
way? "  Fortunately,  for  my  peace  of  mind,  the  mahl-stick 
seemed  to  make  this  king  of  birds  quaij.  He  stood  upon  his 
standard  with  the  United  States  shield  beneath  him,  gazing 
over  the  waters  of  Mendota  with  a  far-off  look,  but  a  tap  of 
my  brush  on  the  easel  would  recall  his  thoughts  and  cause 
him  to  turn  his  head  quickly  in  the  desired  position.  It  was 
in  one  of  these  moments  of  surprise  that  I  caught  the  expres 
sion  of  his  "  shrill  "  eye.  When  nearly  through  with  the 
sitting,  the  flag  was  draped  in  his  talons  over  the  standard. 
The  sight  of  the  stars  and  stripes  seemed  to  arouse  old  memo- 
ries, and  he  uttered  several  screams  which  I  thought  might 
mean  a  declaration  of  war.  His  keeper  assured  me,  however, 
that  it  was  only  a  feeling  of  joy  that  animated  him;  but  as  lie 
began  to  tear  the  bunting  with  his  great  beak  in  a  very  decided 
manner,  and  as  his  meal-time  was  approaching,  he  having 
fasted  two  or  three  days  as  is  his  custom,  this  part  of  the  pict- 
ure was  rapidly  executed,  and  he  went  off  to  his  dinner  of 
rabbit,  which  I  hope  he  enjoyed  as  fully  as  I  did  mv  morning 
with  Old  Abe. 

Abe's  presence  at  Philadelphia  was  one  of  the  popu- 
lar features  of  the  great  Centennial  celebration.  He  had 
a  place  in  Agricultural  Hall,  and  was  constantly,  dur- 
ing the  entire  period  of  the  exhibition,  surrounded  with 
visitors.  His  fame  had  long  before  penetrated  Europe, 
and  foreigners  appeared  to  be  as  interested  and  as  numer- 
ous around  his  perch  as  Americans. 


AT   THE   CENTENNIAL.  81 

Of  course  Abe  went  further  into  history  by  receiving 
honorable  mention  in  the  great  tomes  comprising  the 
official  report  of  the  Centennial  exposition,  and  his 
photographs  and  pamphlet  copies  of  his  life  were  sold 
to  visitors  by  the  thousand. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

TWO   MONTHS   IN   BOSTON. 

PERHAPS  the  most  satisfactory  trip  Old  Abe  ever  made 
was  that  to  Boston,  where  for  nearly  three  months,  in 
the  winter  of  1878-9,  he  was  a  conspicuous  and  admired 
figure  at  the  Old  South  Church  fair. 

This  church  is  an  ancient  building  in  Boston  in 
which,  during  the  Revolution,  the  British  stabled  their 
horses.  In  order  that  it  should  not  fall  a  prey  to  the 
destroying  march  of  business,  and  that  it  might  remain 
to  nourish  our  pride  and  love  of  country  in  the  future, 
patriotic  ladies  purchased  the  structure  for  the  sum  of 
$400,000,  and  began  holding  fairs  therein  for  the  pur- 
pose of  raising  money  to  liquidate  the  debt. 

It  was  proper,  under  these  circumstances,  that  Abe 
should  attend  the  fair  of  1879  and  aid  in  swelling  its 
income.  Gov.  Wm.  E.  Smith,  therefore,  consented  to 
grant  the  request  of  the  lady  managers,  and  despatched 
Peter  B.  Field  with  the  proud  old  bird  to  Boston  in 
December,  1878. 

He  attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention  and  received 
more  callers,  probably,  than  any  other  feature  of  the  fair. 
He  had  a  roomy  cage  in  the  church,  and  Field  had  per- 
mission to  go  to  market  daily  and  purchase,  at  the  expense 
of  the  fair,  fish,  pigeons,  pheasants,  chickens  and  other 
delicacies  for  his  bird,  who  lived  like  a  prince  all  winter. 

82 


TWO   MONTHS   IN   BOSTON.  83 

For  the  amusement  of  the  visitors  he  would  perch  upon 
Field's  arm  or  head  and  march  through  the  crowds,  and, 
to  show  his  powerful  spread  of  wing,  would  sail  grace- 
fully over  their  heads  and  return  to  his  proper  place. 

On  speech-making  occasions,  when  the  audience 
cheered  Abe  flapped  his  wings  and  screamed,  to  the 
amusement  and  delight  of  the  Bostonians,  who  never 
knew  before  that  an  eagle  understood  the  proprieties  of 
enthusiastic  public  meetings. 

The  bird  became  so  popular  in  Boston  that  many 
persons  who  were  unable  to  leave  their  rooms  asked  to 
have  him  brought  to  them.  Whenever  possible,  Field 
complied  with  these  requests,  and  on  one  occasion 
received  a  liberal  check  from  a  helpless  but  wealthy 
lady  in  Beacon  street. 

He  also  attended  a  private  theatrical  given  at  the 
Tudor  mansion,  in  Beacon  street,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Old  South  Church  fund,  and  was  royally  welcomed. 
Field  drolly  relates  that  he  was  "  not  compelled  to  take 
a  check  for  his  overcoat,  which  was  of  such  common 
stuff  he  knew  he  would  get  it  back  again;  no  one  would 
take  it." 

Among  Abe's  visitors  in  church  were  some  blind 
children  who  wished  to  touch  the  plumage  of  the  old 
warrior.  Field  placed  his  arm  over  the  bird's  neck  and 
head,  so  his  terrible  beak  could  not  reach  their  tender 
hands,  and  the  sightless  sight-seers  smoothed  the  eagle 
with  many  expressions  of  delight. 

While  strangers  were  never  allowed  to  lay  hands  on 


84      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR   EAGLE. 

him,  Abe  received  the  caresses  of  soldiers  in  uniform 
with  apparent  satisfaction.  Scores  and  scores  of  times 
had  this  been  illustrated,  and  was  again  proven  in  Bos- 
ton when  a  uniformed  soldier  from  the  arsenal  entered 
the  church,  walked  straight  up  to  the  bird  and  stroked 
his  plumage.  On  these  occasions  Abe  curved  his  neck 
gracefully  and  said  gently:  "  Teete-teete,  teete-teete." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

MORE  REUNIONS — THE  GRANT  BANQUET. 

DURING  the  three  years  of  his  stewardship  Field  also 
carried  Abe  to  many  soldiers'  reunions — to  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  Newark,  0.,  and  other  places.  In  relation  to 
these  gatherings  it  is  the  same  old  story:  the  boys 
cheered  the  old  bird  and  he  cheered  them;  they  all 
marched,  ate  hard-tack  and  "  sow-belly,"  sang  "  March- 
ing Through  Georgia,"  and  had  a  glorious  good  time. 

At  the  Newark,  0.,  reunion,  in  July,  1878,  Abe  had  a 
rousing  reception.  A  military  delegation,  headed  by  a 
band,  met  him  at  the  depot  and  escorted  him  to  the 
residence  of  Col.  C.  D.  Miller,  where  he  was  quartered 
under  a  shady  walnut-tree.  And  when  Maj.  Miller 
issued  the  report  of  the  Newark  reunion,  in  a  handsome 
volume  of  300  pages,  he  could  not  resist  the  temptation 
to  devote  Chapter  II  to  "  Old  Abe,  the  War  Eagle,"  and 
to  adorn  the  book  with  a  portrait  of  the  famous  bird. 

Mark  Smith  succeeded  Field  as  keeper,  in  1879,  and 
carried  Abe  more  or  less  continuously  for  a  year. 

At  the  soldiers'  reunion  at  Aurora,  111.,  in  the  autumn 
of  1879,  where  there  were  150,000  present  for  several 
days,  Smith  was  pretty  thoroughly  tired  out.  He 
stood  day  after  day  and  answered  the  countless  ques- 
tions of  strangers,  each  and  every  one  being  anxious 
to  know  all  about  the  bird — what  he  ate,  how  he  slept, 

85 


86      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN  WAR   EAGLE. 

where  he  was  caught,  how  he  acted  in  battle,  etc.,  etc. 
When  night  came,  after  these  sieges,  he  was  so  hoarse 
he  could  not  speak  aloud. 

At  this  reunion  Smith  slept  on  a  cot  in  the  City 
Hall  and  Abe  was  locked  in  one  of  the  cells,  of  which 
there  were  a  large  number,  in  the  basement.  He  says 
he  could  have  sold  every  one  of  the  bird's  wing  and  tail 
feathers  at  $10  each. 

Partisan  newspapers  had  repeatedly  asserted  that 
Abe  was  dead,  and  that  the  eagle  alleged  to  be  the  gen- 
uine war-eagle  was  a  fraud.  In  1879  Smith  carried  the 
bird  to  a  reunion  at  Menomonie,  Wis.,  near  the  place  of 
his  birth  and  enlistment.  Numbers  of  the  old  Eighth 
Regiment  were  present  and  instantly  recognized  the  eagle 
as  Old  Abe,  though  they  had  not  seen  him  in  fifteen 
years. 

And  the  boys  emphatically  claim  the  bird  recog- 
nized them,  too,  and  was  delighted  to  see  them. 

One  of  the  memorable  occasions  to  which  Abe  lent 
grace  and  spirit  was  the  banquet  given  to  Gen,  U.  S. 
Grant  in  1879,  on  the  return  from  his  trip  around  the 
world.  He  had  been  on  the  road  for  some  days  and 
was,  therefore,  weary  and  sleepy.  He  did  not  take  a 
place  in  the  parade,  but  had  a  conspicuous  position  at 
the  banquet  in  the  Palmer  House. 

On  arriving  at  the  door  of  the  banquet  hall  the  man- 
agers proposed  to  take  in  Abe,  but  not  his  keeper, 
Smith.  "  No,  sir,"  said  Mark.  "  Where  this  bird  goes, 
I  go." 


MORE  REUNIONS — THE  GRANT  BANQUET.      87 

"But,"  interposed  the  esthetes,  "this  is  a  private 
dinner  and  you  have  no  invitation." 

"All  right,"  responded  Mark.  "  I  was  good  enough 
to  fight  with  Grant,  if  I  am  not  good  enough  to  eat  with 
him.  If  this  place  is  too  good!  for  me,  it  is  too  good  for 
Abe,"  and  he  turned  to  go. 

That  speech  did  the  business,  and  Mark,  with  his 
long  raven  locks,  broad  sombrero  hat  and  flashing  black 
eyes,  stumped  up  to  the  head  of  the  hall  on  his  wooden 
leg,  and  sat  by  the  side  of  his  plumaged  veteran  until 
3  o'clock  of  the  following  morning. 

Abe  was  so  tired  that  he  did  not  take  a  very  lively 
interest  in  the  proceedings,  but  when  Col.  Wm.  F.  Vilas 
mounted  a  table  and  uttered  the  splendid  tribute  to 
Grant  which  made  him  famous,  and,  the  Chicago  Tribune 
claims,  made  him  also  Cleveland's  postmaster-general, 
he  flapped  his  wings  and  responded  with  one  of  his 
piercing  battle- screams. 

During  the  Northern  State  Fair  at  Oshkosh,  Wis., 
Smith  and  Abe  were  present,  quartered  in  a  tent,  for 
entering  which  a  fee  of  ten  cents  was  charged.  The 
proceeds  went  to  the  Methodist  Church  Association. 
He  had  many  visitors. 

While  there  Smith  gave  his  bird  a  fine  Dominique 
rooster  for  a  feast.  Crowds  gathered  to  see  how  he 
killed  and  devoured  his  prey;  but,  curiously  enough, 
he  looked  kindly  on  the  handsome  young  rooster,  made 
friends  with  him  and  thereafter  the  two  roosted  con- 


88       OLD   ABE,   THE   EIGHTH   WISCONSIN  WAR   EAGLE. 

tentedly  together  on  the  same  perch  until  the  fair  closed, 
when  the  Dominique  was  released. 

Smith  was  succeeded  in  the  spring  of  1880  by 
George  Gillies,  a  sturdy  Scotchman,  who  was  Abe's  last 
keeper.  The  latter  had  much  more  traveling  to  do  than 
the  earlier  keepers,  because,  as  Abe's  fame  spread  and 
soldiers'  reunions  became  more  numerous,  the  demand 
for  his  presence  on  such  occasions  was  almost  constant. 

At  the  great  reunion  in  Columbus,  0.,  in  1880, 
George  and  his  bird  were  quartered  in  a  fine  private 
residence  in  the  suburbs. 

When  night  of  the  first  day  came  the  hostess  gave 
Abe  one  of  the  nicest  rooms  in  the  house.  "  Oh!  "  ex- 
claimed the  practical  keeper,  "  Don't  give  to  the  bird  the 
like  of  that  ;  let  him  sit  in  his  cage  on  the  porch." 

"  No,"  insisted  the  ladies,  "  nothing  is  too  good  for  Old 
Abe  and  his  keeper  ;  put  him  in  there."  And  so  in  he 
went,  into  a  room  richly  carpeted  and  elegantly  fur- 
nished. 

George  also  carried  the  bird  to  the  reunion  at 
Canton,  O.,  during  the  same  year,  where  the  veterans 
enjoyed  themselves  heartily.  "  Man,  man,"  says  he  yet, 
"  but  Ohio  is  the  State  for  you.  There  was  nothing  good 
enough  for  Old  Abe  or  me  in  the  entire  commonwealth. 
We  rode  free,  ate  free,  and  had  the  best  of  everything 
everywhere." 

In  1880,  while  100,000  people  were  assembled  in 
Chicago  in  the  Republican  National  Convention,  a 
soldiers'  reunion  on  a  vast  scale  was  being  held  in  Mil- 


MORE  REUNIONS — THE  GRANT  BANQUET.       89 

waukee.  The  veterans  published  a  daily  newspaper  and 
also  a  "  Reunion  Roster  " — a  quarto  volume  of  liberal 
thickness,  containing  names,  regiments  and  similar  infor- 
mation in  relation  to  soldiers. 

Old  Abe  was  there,  sleek  and  majestic,  but  well- 
pleased.  In  that  great  procession,  which  required  hours 
to  pass  a  given  point,  no  two  figures  attracted  so  much 
attention  as  the  eagle  and  Gen.  Grant.  The  two  were 
close  together  near  the  head  of  the  columns,  with  front 
and  rear  covered  by  bands  of  music  and  either  flank  by 
veterans  bearing  tattered  regimental  colors.  It  was  a 
stirring  scene. 

No  outward  sign  on  the  face  of  the  grim  commander 
indicated  that  he  knew  aught  about  the  desperate  strug- 
gle of  three  giants  of  the  Republican  party — Roscoe 
Conkling,  John  A.  Logan  'and  J.  Donald  Cameron — only 
eighty  miles  away,  to  compass  the  defeat  of  Elaine  and 
the  nomination  of  himself  for  the  Presidency;  and  Abe, 
close  to  a  noisy  drum-corps,  was  equally  complacent  and 
self-satisfied,  though  his  magnificent  eyes  blazed  with 
the  inward  excitement  and  pleasure  always  manifested 
on  military  occasions. 

That  was  the  last  public  appearance  of  Old  Abe  in 
Wisconsin.  The  people  cheered  him  lustily,  showing 
that  though  he  had  been  before  the  public  for  twenty 
years  his  popularity  had  increased  rather  than  dimin- 
ished. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

OLD   ABE'S   SEMI-TRAGIC   DEATH. 

TOWARD  evening  of  a  cold  day  in  the  winter  of  1881 
a  fire  started  mysteriously  in  a  quantity  of  paints  and 
oils  stored  in  the  basement  of  the  capitol,  near  Old 
Abe's  large  cage.  The  blaze  created  an  enormous  vol- 
ume of  black  and  offensive  smoke,  which  at  once  filled  the 
cage  to  suffocation. 

Abe,  understanding  full  well  the  nature  of  what  was 
going  on  around  him,  sent  forth  such  a  scream  as  had 
never  before  been  heard  in  that  building.  Attendants 
and  watchmen  rushed  below  to  learn  the  cause  of  the 
startling  outcry,  and  before  attacking  the  flames,  opened 
the  door  of  the  perch-room.  The  eagle,  with  another 
piercing  screech,  swept  swiftly  out  and  away  from  the 
smudge. 

He  seemed  to  be  either  frightened  or  injured  by  the 
smoke,  for  his  breast  heaved,  his  heart  labored  heavily 
and  his  plumage  was  disheveled.  Nor  was  he  ever  well 
thereafter.  He  ate  sparingly  or  not  at  all;  his  eyes  lost 
their  wonderful  luster;  he  sat  around  in  a  half-comatose 
condition  fora  few  days,  and  on  March  26,  1881,  with  a 
slight  tremor  and  a  few  feeble  flaps  of  his  wings,  expired 
in  the  arms  of  his  stout  keeper,  George  Gillies. 

George  said  that  Abe  seemed  to  know  he  was  about 
to  die,  for  when  he  asked  solicitously,  "  must  we  lose 

90 


OLD  ABE'S  SEMI-TRAGIC  DEATH.  91 

you,  Abe?"  the  old  bird  raised  up  his  head  and 
looked  wistfully  into  his  keeper's  face  and  then  sunk 
back  into  his  arms  and  passed  away.  Around  him 
were  numbers  of  one-legged  and  one-armed  veterans 
whose  sad  faces  showed  that  they  had  lost  a  beloved 
comrade. 

At  first  the  general  desire  among  the  soldiers  was  to 
have  Abe  buried  in  the  beautiful  Forest  Hill  Cemetery, 
where  rest  two  hundred  Union  and  one  hundred  and 
fifty  confederate  dead,  with  appropriate  military  cere- 
monies, and  under  a  handsome  monument. 

The  suggestion  that  the  taxidermist's  art  would  pre- 
serve him  to  the  sight  for  an  indefinite  period  dispelled 
these  notions,  and  he  was  turned  over  to  Maj.  C.  G. 
Mayers,  who,  after  preserving  and  stuffing  the  warrior- 
bird,  fixed  him  firmly  to  a  neat  perch,  as  he  now  stands 
in  the  War  Museum  of  the  capitol. 

Maj.  Mayers  was  familiar  with  Abe's  habits  and 
appearance  and  was,  therefore,  successful  in  securing 
that  majestic  poise  of  the  head,  graceful  curve  of  the 
neck  and  animated  flash  of  the  eye  which  are  remem- 
bered by  those  who  have  seen  him  when  a  strain  of 
lively  martial  music  first  fell  on  his  ear. 

While  preparing  Abe's  carcass  for  preservation,  Maj. 
Mayers  discovered  that  the  lungs  had  grown  firmly  to 
the  ribs,  which  fact  explains  the  fatal  result  of  the 
smoke  and  fright. 

The  cause  of  this  malformation  is  alleged  to  have 
been  numerous  colds  and  congestions  resulting  from 


92      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR   EAGLE. 

changing  the  bird  suddenly  from  his  warm  cage  in  the 
basement  of  the  capitol  to  the  cold  outer  air  in  winter. 
On  the  day  following  the  death  of  Old  Abe  the  Mil- 
waukee Republican  contained  an  interview  with  Maj.  W. 
J.  Dawes,  who  commanded  a  company  in  the  Eagle 
Regiment.  It  contains  some  interesting  points,  stated 
in  a  soldier's  hearty  way,  as  follows : 

Old  Abe  was  well  known  all  over  the  world.  His  reputa- 
tion is  as  wide-spread  as  that  of  any  general  who  fought  in 
the  same  battles  with  him. 

My  first  acquaintance  with  him  was  in  the  spring  of  1861, 
just  about  twenty  years  ago.  now.  The  Eighth  Wisconsin 
Regiment,  a  company  of  which  I  had  the  honor  to  command, 
was  going  into  camp  at  Camp  Randall,  in  Madison,  and  with 
one  of  the  companies — that  commanded  by  Capt.  Perkins — 
came  the  eagle,  then  a  chicken  about  half  or  two-thirds 
grown. 

Whether  the  idea  had  been  formed  before  he  came  into 
camp  of  making  him  a  part  of  the  regiment  for  the  war,  or 
whether  it  was  developed  afterwards,  I  do  not  now  recollect; 
but  it  was  understood  before  we  left  camp  that  the  bird  had 
enlisted,  and  he  was  christened  Old  Abe. 

One  of  the  tallest  men  in  the  regiment  was  detailed  to 
carry  and  take  care  of  him,  with  the  understanding  that  at 
the  end  of  the  war  he  was  to  convey  him  to  Washington  and 
present  him  to  his  namesake,  the  President. 

A  standard,  with  a  slanting  platform  on  it,  over  which  was 
a  carved  quiver  and  arrows  for  him  to  stand  upon,  was 
obtained,  and  upon  this  he  made  his  way  when  on  the  inarch. 
A  cord  attached  to  his  leg  secured  him  to  this  standard,  and 
standing  on  his  perch,  over  the  shoulder  of  his  bearer  and 
near  the  colors  of  the  regiment,  he  was  the  observed  of  all 
observers. 

Several  times  he  escaped  from  the  boys,  but  never  for  a 
long  time.  The  most  noted  was  the  battle  of  Corinth.  Gen. 
Mower's  horse  was  shot  under  him;  I  lost  one-third  of  all  the 
men  I  had,  either  killed  or  wounded;  was  shot  myself,  and  a 
bullet  cut  Old  Abe's  cord — all  in  a  moment  of  time. 

The  Johnnies  were  down  on  us  with  a  whoop  and  a  yell. 
I  saw  our  eagle  soaring  (that  is  a  pretty  classical  word  to  us, 
but  it  alone  can  express  the  dignity  of  the  flight)  away  over 


OLD  ABE'S  SEMI-TRAGIC  DEATH.          93 

the  rebels,  and  supposed  he  was  gone  for  keeps,  as  did  we  all, 
and  sorry  enough  we  were. 

We  were  in  trouble  enough:  licked  for  the  time  being,  our 
friends  killed  and  wounded,  old  Joe's  horse  shot  (we  all  liked 
the  old  fellow  on  his  master's  account),  and,  above  all,  our 
engle  gone  over  to  the  rebs. 

Some  of  the  men  gathered  me  up  in  a  blanket  and  took  me 
along  the  best  they  could,  and  we  had  not  gone  far  before  Old 
Abe  came  swooping  back  to  his  perch,  which  was  being 
brought  along,  for  we  did  not  mean  to  let  the  Johnnies  crow 
over  that,  anyhow. 

This  sounds  almost  too  poetical  to  be  believed,  but  there 
were  too  many  eye-witnesses  to  it  to  be  successfully  contra- 
dicted. I  know  these  things  of  my  own  knowledge,  and  assert 
them  to  be  true. 

How  do  you  account  for  the  eagle  knowing  the  regiment, 
and  where  to  find  his  place  ?  was  asked  of  Maj.  Dawes. 

I  don't  account  for  it.  All  I  have  to  do  is  to  state  facts.  If 
you  want  reasons  and  causes,  you  must  go  to  some  philoso- 
pher. I  believe  the  eagle  knew  our  regiment  as  well  as  we 
knew  it  ourselves,  and  that  he  could  tell  it  as  far  off  as  any  of  us. 

When  soldiers  from  other  regiments  visited  us  and  called 
on  him,  as  they  usually  did,  he  did  not  appear  the  same  before 
them  as  before  any  members  of  the  Eighth  that  happened  to 
be  near  him.  It  was  a  common  understanding  among  the 
boys  that  Old  Abe  knew  who  belonged  to  his  regiment  and 
who  did  not.  This  was  not  a  peculiarity  of  the  eagle  alone. 
The  colonel  had  a  dog  with  us  that  evidently  knew  the  per- 
sonnel of  the  regiment  entirely — better,  perhaps,  than  any 
one  belonging  to  it.  I  ani  not  superstitious,  but  1  fully  believe 
that  bird  could  think. 

As  to  food,  confederate  chicken  seemed  to  agree  with  his 
constitution  remarkably  well.  He  never  suffered  for  want  of 
edibles  as  the  rest  of  us  sometimes  did.  I  have  seen  the 
whole  regiment  on  chase  after  a  rabbit  for  his  supper  across 
the  field,  after  a  hard  day's  march,  whooping  like  fiends.  Of 
course  it  was  fun,  but  being  in  behalf  of  the  eagle  helped  the 
fun  wonderfully. 

During  an  engagement  he  was  always  in  the  thickest  of  the 
fight,  near  the  colors,  usually  on  the  ground,  occasionally  flying 
to  his  perch  and  screaming  terrifically.  He  seemed  to  know 
that  business  was  being  transacted  and  the  nature  of  it. 

He  would  stand  by  a  cannon  which  was  being  served  with 
the  greatest  rapidity,  without  flinching,  and  the  rattle  of  small 
arms  appeared  to  delight  him.  Of  course  he  did  not  know 
what  it  was  to  be  hurt  by  the  balls,  but  I  believe  that  he  ap- 
preciated that  trouble  came  to  those  about  him  by  this  means. 


94      OLD   ABE,    THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN  WAR  EAGLE. 

Army  men  were  then  and  have  been  since  enthusiastic 
about  Abe.  He  was  a  bird  only,  but  he  was  the  embodiment 
of  a  principle,  a  companion  of  our  service,  which  was  a  good 
deal.  And  there  will  be  a  great  many  wet  eyes  when  the  news 
of  his  death  reaches  the  survivors  of  the  Eighth  Regiment.  I 
have  about  as  much  dignity  as  people  generally  have,  but 
I  would  not  feel  that  it  was  in  the  least  compromised  by  my 
acting  as  pall-bearer  at  the  funeral  of  Old  Abe,  should  he  be 
buried. 


W.  T.  SHERMAN. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

ANECDOTES   AND   CHARACTERISTICS. 

ABE  was  like  a  person;  he  had  individual  peculiari- 
ties which  all  who  knew  him  remembered.  Capt. 
Britton  says  that,  although  the  old  fellow  was  often 
given  his  freedom  while  in  camp,  he  never  straggled 
away  or  fell  behind,  as  did  other  soldiers. 

He  loved  rabbits,  squirrels,  robins,  pigeons,  chickens 
and  fresh  meat,  but  he  loved  rats  best  of  all.  He  could 
discern  a  rat  at  a  great  distance  and  the  approach  of  his 
attendant  with  one  of  these  rodents  in  hand  was  the  signal 
for  the  liveliest  manifestations  of  anticipation.  On  such 
occasions  he  jumped  up  and  down,  swung  his  neck  in 
graceful  curves  from  side  to  side  and  kept  up  a  low  but 
gleeful  chuckle. 

It  was  not  unusual,  after  he  had  partaken  of  a  good 
meal,  to  see  Abe  go  for  several  days  without  tasting 
food  of  any  kind.  Sometimes  this  was  because  he  did 
not  like  what  was  thrown  to  him;  but  generally,  when 
he  went  on  a  journey  of  two  or  three  days,  he  would 
eat  nothing  until  his  return. 

It  is  probable  that  Abe  fully  understood  a  joyous 
sound,  for  the  regiment  or  any  audience  of  which  he 
formed  a  part,  never  sent  up  a  hearty  cheer  without  a 
resounding  scream  from  him.  And  such  screams  !  The 
human  voice  could  no  more  imitate  their  startling  in- 

97 


98      OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH  WISCONSIN   WAR    EAGLE. 

tensity  than  man  could  follow  an  eagle's  magnificent 
nights. 

Abe  never  indorsed  the  XIV  amendment.  He  seemed 
to  entertain  a  malicious  hatred  of  the  Negro  race.  No 
colored  person  could  approach  him  without  meeting  a 
terrific  attack. 

He  hated  dogs,  too,  and  if  one  came  within  reach  of 
his  powerful  beak  and  talons  the  result  invariably  was 
a  cyclone  of  yelps,  barks  and  fur. 

But  his  hatred  was  not  confined  to  dogs  and  colored 
people.  His  dislike  of  certain  members  of  his  regiment 
was  emphatic.  While  it  was  never  safe  for  strangers  to 
approach  and  touch  him,  it  was  always  dangerous  for 
those  whom  he  believed  to  be  his  enemies  to  get  within 
his  reach;  he  would  tear  them  with  his  beak  and  talons 
with  vicious  vigor. 

Homaston,  one  of  his  bearers,  said  Abe  had  a  lan- 
guage and  that  it  was  easy  to  understand.  When  sur- 
prised, he  whistled  a  wild  melody,  toned  to  a  melan- 
choly softness;  when  hovering  over  his  food,  he  gave  a 
spiteful  chuckle;  when  pleased  to  see  an  old  friend, 
he  would  say,  "  how  do  you  do  ?"  with  a  plaintive  coo- 
ing; but  his  scream  in  battle  was  wild  and  commanding, 
consisting  of  five  or  six  notes  uttered  in  quick  succession 
with  a  wild  trill  that  was  perfectly  inspiring  to  the 
soldiers. 

His  memory  was  as  keen  as  his  all-piercing  eye. 
After  the  war,  it  is  related  by  J.  0.  Barrett,  Edward 
Homaston  chanced  to  see  the  eagle  in  a  crowd  at  the 


ANECDOTES   AND   CHARACTERISTICS.  99 

depot  in  Madison.  He  knew  the  bird,  but  feigning 
otherwise,  exclaimed,  "  Why,  here  is  an  eagle ! "  and 
put  out  his  hand  to  pat  him  on  the  head.  The  bird's 
attendant  checked  him,  saying,  "  Take  care,  there,  the 
eagle  will  hurt  you  ! "  "  Hurt  me  ?  "  said  Homaston. 
"  See  here,  man  ! "  and  he  actually  embraced  the  eagle, 
who  extended  his  wings  and  screeched  and  cooed,  well 
pleased  at  once  more  greeting  his  old  bearer. 

Abe's  idea  of  justice  was  simple — revenge.  A  Rocky 
Mountain  eagle,  named  Andy  Johnson — a  lean  and  un- 
prepossessing bird  when  compared  with  Abe — was  given 
to  the  State  by  the  Forty -ninth  Regiment,  Wisconsin 
Volunteer  Infantry.  Although  vicious  and  compara- 
tively unattractive,  he  had  a  home  near  his  companion. 

During  pleasant  days  the  eagles  sat  on  perches  in 
the  large  and  beautiful  park  that  surrounds  the  capitol 
at  Madison.  One  evening  the  eagle  attendants  went  out 
together  to  bring  in  their  feathered  charges  for  the 
night,  each  driving  a  bird  by  means  of  a  long  cord 
attached  to  the  legs. 

Abe  was  sick  and  weak.  Andy,  watching  his  oppor- 
tunity, darted  fiercely  upon  his  companion  the  moment 
the  length  of  his  tether  would  permit.  Both  keepers 
did  their  utmost,  in  the  darkness,  to  part  the  combat- 
ants, but  before  they  succeeded,  Abe,  ill-prepared  for  a 
fight,  was  partially  vanquished. 

The  battle  was  a  terrible  one,  the  combatants  being 
in  such  a  powerful  embrace  that  their  keepers  could 


100   OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR   EAGLE. 

hardly  separate  them.  After  that,  of  course,  the  utmost 
caution  was  exercised  to  keep  the  birds  apart. 

Abe,  however,  never  forgot  the  fight  nor  took  his 
piercing  eye  from  the  ruffled  plumage  of  his  adversary; 
and  a  year  later,  as  Andy  passed  under  his  perch,  he 
darted  upon  the  poor  bird  with  a  wild  scream  of  re- 
venge, and  in  a  few  moments,  before  attendants  could 
put  a  stop  to  the  engagement,  had  nearly  killed  him. 

It  is  probable  that  Andy  received  a  fatal  wound  from 
Abe's  powerful  talons,  for  he  was  never  himself  after 
that,  and  after  pining  for  a  brief  period,  died  in  the 
spring  of  1874.  His  skin  was  set  up  by  a  taxidermist, 
and  occupies  a  place  in  the  same  room  with  Abe,  in  the 
War  Museum,  but  no  one  enquires  for  or  takes  much 
interest  in  him.  He  was  not  a  thoroughbred,  not  a 
patriot,  not  a  diplomatist.  His  inferiority  in  grace, 
beauty  and  majesty  was,  and  is  even  in  death,  clearly 
apparent  to  those  who  have  never  before  seen  eagles. 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  propensity  of  boys  and 
strangers  to  bother  Abe — thrust  sticks  at  him  and  other- 
wise disturb  and  annoy  him — he  could  have  been  taught 
anything,  almost,  save  to  speak. 

In  his  cage  was  a  small  table  on  which  he  fed. 
Keeper  Gillies,  drawing  near  in  the  morning,  would  fre- 
quently ask:  "Are  you  hungry,  Abe  ?"  Silence  was 
the  bird's  negative  answer;  but  in  case  he  desired  to 
reply  in  the  affirmative,  he  instantly  jumped  down  and 
began  picking  on  the  bare  table. 

More  than  once  has  the  writer,  when  Gillies  was 


ANECDOTES   AND   CHARACTERISTICS.  101 

taking  strangers  to  see  the  bird,  observed  how  well  Abe 
understood  what  was  wanted  of  him.  To  the  com- 
mand, "  Come  out  here,  Abe !  I  want  you  out,"  he 
would  fly  down  with  a  gentle  whistle  and  jump  along 
out  of  his  cage. 

"Now,  get  up  on  that  stool  and  show  yourself," 
would  be  the  further  order,  and  up  he  would  go,  with  a 
rustle  of  his  feathers. 

What  may  seem  strange  to  many,  Abe  loved  his 
home,  his  cage.  He  didn't  enjoy  the  hundreds  of  trips 
he  was  compelled  to  make  to  reunions  and  other  gather- 
ings, and  at  every  return  manifested  the  greatest  delight. 

He  was  exceptionally  cleanly,  bathing  at  least  twice 
a  week,  and  always  in  clean  water.  For  this  purpose 
he  had  a  large  tub  made  expressly  for  him. 

After  having  been  out  for  several  days  on  a  journey 
he  would  scream  when  within  sight  of  the  basement 
entrance  leading  to  his  cage,  and  on  being  released 
would  scamper  down  the  hallway  and  plunge  into  the 
tub  for  a  bath. 

A  great  number  of  Old  Abe's  pictures  have  been  sold 
in  the  form  of  photographs,  chromos,  lithographs  and 
engravings.  Many  of  these  were  fair  representations, 
but  more  were  random  sketches  of  the  eagle  family  with 
Abe's  name  forged  upon  them. 

He  was  in  every  respect  a  more  spirited  and  hand- 
some bird  than  any  portrait  can  represent  him;  never- 
theless the  picture  in  this  volume  is  a  faithful  outline  of 


102   OLD   ABE,   THE    EIGHTH   WISCONSIN   WAR   EAGLE. 

the  old  bird,  made  from  a  photograph  taken  from  life  as 
he  sat  on  a  bronze  cannon  in  the  capitol  park. 

Volke's,  Culver's,  and  other  representations  of  Abe 
have  already  been  mentioned.  Stewart,  a  Louisville 
artist,  painted,  life-size,  a  portrait  of  the  eagle  which 
hangs  in  the  Executive  Chamber  at  Madison,  in  a  costly 
frame,  and  while  in  Boston  he  was  painted  from  life  by 
two  unknown  artists. 

One  pleasant  morning,  says  Peter  B.  Field,  who  had 
charge  of  Abe  at  the  Old  South  Church  Fair,  a  bright- 
faced  woman  approached  and  asked  whether  she  might 
not  hang  up  a  shawl  and  "  sit  behind  it  in  the  corner  and 
watch  the  Wisconsin  war-eagle." 

Peter,  though  white-haired,  is  gallant  to  the  fair  sex. 
He  thought  this  a  strange  proceeding,  yet  he  could  not 
refuse  a  request  so  gentle  from  lips  so  sweet. 

The  "  watching  "  continued  for  hours,  the  fair  watcher 
hidden  away  from  the  crowd.  When  the  shawl  was 
removed  Peter  discovered  that  his  quiet  visitor  had 
sketched  Old  Abe  in  oil,  life-size.  What  became  of  the 
painting  or  who  the  lady  was  he  never  knew. 

A  wealthy  lapidarist  of  Boston  also  had  an  oil  por- 
trait made  of  Abe,  and  photographs  in  great  number 
have  been  made  in  Boston,  Philadelphia,  Chicago,  Madi- 
son and  elsewhere.  They  may  be  found  in  almost  every 
album  in  the  North,  especially  the  Northwest. 

Abe's  feathers  as  well  as  his  photographs  are  pretty 
widely  distributed.  They  are  held  largely  by  governors, 
congressmen,  judges,  generals  and  people  of  wealth  who 


ANECDOTES   AND   CHARACTERISTICS.  103 

purchased  them  at  round  figures.  A  New  York  gentle- 
man has  one  mounted  in  gold,  and  many  important 
documents  have  been  signed  with  pens  made  from  Abe's 
quills.  Some  of  them  are  in  Europe  and  every  one  is 
highly  prized. 

The  handsome  octagonal  case  of  black  walnut  and 
plate  glass  in  which  Abe  is  enclosed,  stands  in  the  War 
Museum  at  Madison,  near  long  rows  of  tattered  battle 
flags  carried  by  Wisconsin  regiments. 

His  visitors  are  as  numerous  now  as  before  death, 
except  among  children,  and  questions  relative  to  his  life 
and  career  do  not  diminish. 

He  looks  the  warrior  even  now,  and  stands  in  the 
majestic  and  animated  poise  shown  in  the  portrait  of 
him  presented  in  this  volume. 

No  other  bird  ever  achieved  so  much  fame  or  reached 
such  a  distinguished  place  in  history. 


APPENDIX. 


OLD  ABE'S  BATTLES. 


Fredericktown,  Mp., 

Siege  of  New  Madrid  and  Island  No. 

Point  Pleasant,   Mo., 

Farmington,  Miss., 

Before  Corinth,  Miss., 

luka,  Miss., 

Burnsville,  Miss., 

luka,  Miss., 

Corinth,  Miss., 

Tallahatchie,  Miss., 

Mississippi  Springs,  Miss.,    . 

Jackson,  Miss., 

Assault  on  Vicksburg,  Miss., 

Mechanicsburg,  Miss., 

Richmond,  La., 

Vicksburg,   Miss., 

Surrender  of  Vicksburg,  Miss., 

Brownsville,  Miss., 

Fort  Scurry,  La., 

Fort  de  Russy,  La., 

Henderson's  Hill,  La., 

Grand  Ecore,  La., 

Pleasant  Hill,  La., 

Nachitoches,  La., 

Kane  River,  La., 

Clouterville  and  Crane  Hill,  La., 

Bayou  Rapide,  La.,     . 

Bayou  La  Moore,  La., 

Bayou  Roberts,  La.,   . 

Moore's  Plantation,  La., 

Mansura,  La., 

Maysville,  La., 

Calhoun's  Plantation,  La.,    . 

Bayou  de  Glaise,  La., 

Lake  Chicot,  La., 

Hurricane  Creek,  La., 

101 


Oct.    21,  1861 

10,  Mo.,  M'handAp,  1862 

.      M'ch  20,  1862 

May  9,  1862 

.  May  28,  1862 

Sept.  12,  1862 

.  Sept.  13,  1862 

Sept.  16,  18,  1862 

.  Oct.  3,  4,  1862 

Dec.  2,  1862 

.  May  13,  1863 

May  14,  1863 

.  May  22,  1863 

June  4,  1863 

.  June  15,  1863 

June  24,  1863 

.  July  4,  1863 

Oct.  14,  1863 

.  M'ch  13,  1864 

M'ch  15,  1864 

.  M'ch  15,  1864 

April  2,  1864 

.  April  8,  9,  1864 

April  20,  1864 

.  April  22,  1864 

April  23,  1864 

.  May  2,  1864 

May  3,  1864 
.  May  4-6,  1864 

May  8-12,  1864 

.  May  16,  1864 

May  17,  1864 

.  May  18,  1864 

May  18,  1864 

.  June  6,  1864 

Aug.    13,  1864 


OLD   ABE'S   ATTENDANTS   IN  WAR   AND   IN   PEACE.    105 
HIS  ATTENDANTS  IN  WAR. 

1.  James  McGinnis,  of  Eau  Claire,  from  Sept.  1. 1861,  to 
May  30,  1862. 

2.  Thos.  J.  Hill,  of  Eau  Claire,  from  May  30,   1862,   to 
August  18,  1862. 

3.  David  McLane,  of  Menomonie,  from  Aug.  18,  1862,  to 
October,  1862. 

4.  Edward  Homaston,  of  Eau  Claire,  from  October,  1862, 
to  September,  1863. 

5.  John  Buckhardt,  of  Eau  Claire,  from  September,  1863 
to  September,  1864. 

6.  John  F.  Hill,  during  transit  from  Chicago  to  Madison, 
September,  1864. 

HIS  ATTENDANTS  IN  PEACE. 

1.  John  McFarland,  State  Armorer. 

2.  Angus  R.  McDonald,  State  Armorer,  Eleventh  Wiscon- 
sin Infantry. 

3.  John  G.  Stock,  State  Armorer,  Fourth  Wisconsin  Cav- 
alry. 

4.  E.  G.  Linderman,  State  Armorer,  Fifth  Wisconsin  In- 
fantry. 

5.  William  J.  Jones,  Sixteenth  Wisconsin  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. 

6.  Geo.  W.  Baker,  Nineteenth  Wisconsin  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. 

7.  I.  E.  Troan,  civilian. 

8.  John  F.  Hill,  Eighth  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry. 

9.  Peter  B.  Field,  civilian. 

10.  Mark  Smith,  Seventh  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry. 

11.  George  Gillies,  Second  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry. 


106 


APPENDIX. 


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TROOPS   IN  THE   UNION  ARMY,   WITH   BOUNTIES.        107 


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ii  5 


108  APPENDIX. 

CASUALTIES. 

The  number  of  casualties  in  the  volunteer  and  regu- 
lar armies  of  the  United  States  during  the  war,  1861-65, 
was  reported  by  the  Provost-Marshal  General  in  1866, 
as  follows: 

Killed  in  battle,  61,362;  Died  of  wounds,  34,727;  Died  of 
disease,  183,287;  Total  died,  279,376;  Total  deserted,  199,105. 

Number  of  soldiers  in  the  Confederate  service  who  died  of 
wounds  or  disease  (partial  statement),  133,821.  Deserted 
(partial  statement),  104,428. 

Number  of  United  States  troops  captured  during  the  war, 
212,608;  Confederate  troops  captured,  476,169. 

Number  of  United  States  troops  paroled  on  the  field, 
16,431 ;  Confederate  troops  paroled  on  the  field,  248,599. 

Number  of  United  States  troops  who  died  while  prisoners, 
29,725;  Confederate  troops  who  died  while  prisoners,  26,774. 

GENERALS  OF  TBE  ARMY. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  generals  who  have  com- 
manded the  army  since  1775,  with  the  dates  of  command 
as  far  as  can  be  ascertained  from  the  official  records : 

Major-General  George  Washington,  June  15,  1775,  to  De- 
cember 23,  1783. 

Major-General  Henry  Knox,  December  23, 1783,  to  June  20, 
1784. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Josiah  Harmer,  general-in-chief  by 
brevet,  September,  1788,  to  March,  1791. 

Major-General  Arthur  St.  Clair,  March  4, 1791,  to  March, 
1792. 

Major-General  Anthony  Wayne,  April  11, 1792,  to  December 
15,  1796. 

Major-General  James  Wilkinson,  December  15,  1796,  to 
July,  1798. 

Lieutenant-General  George  Washington,  July  3,  1798,  to  his 
death,  December  14,  1799. 

Major-General  Jarnes  Wilkinson,  June  1800,  to  January', 
1812. 

Major-General  Henry  Dearborn,  January  27,  1812,  to  June, 
1815. 


STATISTICS   OF  THE   REGULAR    ARMY. 


109 


Major-General  Jacob  Brown,  June,  1815,  to  February  21, 
1828. 

Major-General  Alexander  Macomb,  May  24,  1828,  to  June, 
1841. 

Major-General  Winfield  Scott  (brevet  lieutenant-general), 
June,  1841,  to  November  1, 1861. 

Major-General  George  B.  McClellan,  November  1,  1861,  to 
March  11,  1862. 

Major-General  Henry  W.  Halleck,  July  11,  1862,  to  March 
12, 1864. 

Lieutenant-General  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  March  12,  1864,  to 
July  25,  1866,  and  as  General  to  March  4,  1869. 

General  William  T.  Sherman,  March  4, 1869,  to  November 
1,  1883. 

Lieutenant-General  Philip  H.  Sheridan,  since  November 
1,  1883. 

STATISTICS  OP  THE  REGULAR  ARMY.  1789-1879. 

The  following  table  exhibits  the  strength  of  the  regu- 
lar army  of  the  United  States,  from  1789  to  1879,  as 
fixed  by  acts  of  Congress.  The  figures  are  for  the  aggre- 
gate of  officers  and  men: 


Year.  Strength  of  Army. 

1789.  1  Reg't  Infantry.  1  Bat.  Art  .  840 
1792.  Indian  Border  Wars,  .  5,120 
1791.  Peace  establishment,  .  3,629 

1S01 5,144 

1807 3,278 

1810.         .....          7,154 

1812.  War  with  Great  Britain,  11,831 

1815 9,413 

1M7-182X.  Peace  establishment,  9,980 
1822-1832.  "  "  6,184 

1833-1837.       "  "  7,198 

1838-1842.  Florida  War.  .  ,  12,539 
1843-1846.  Peace  establishment,  8,613 


Year.  Strength  of  Army. 

is (7.  Mexican  War,     .       .      17,812 
1848.         "         "  "        .         .  30,890 

1849-1RS5.  Peace  establishment,  10,320 
1856-1861.       "  "  12,931 

1862.         Civil  War,          .  39,273 

1868-1865.     "        "          .        .      43,332 
1867.         Peace  establishment,54.641 


1868-1869. 

1870. 

1871. 

1872-1874. 

1875-1879. 


52,922 
37,313 
85,353 
82,264 
27,489 


HISTORY  OP  THE  AMERICAN  FLAG.* 

MEN,  in  the  aggregate,  demand  something  besides 
abstract  ideas  and   principles.     Hence  the  desire  for 


*    The  National  Hand-Book  contained  a  goodly  portion  of  the  facts 
herein  used,  in  1865. 


110  APPENDIX. 

symbols — something  visible  to  the  eye  and  that  appeals 
to  the  senses.  Every  nation  has  a  flag  that  represents 
the  country;  every  army  a  common  banner,  which,  to 
the  soldier,  stands  for  that  army.  It  speaks  to  him  in 
the  din  of  battle,  cheers  him  in  the  long  and  tedious 
march,  and  pleads  with  him  on  the  disastrous  retreat. 

In  ancient  times  the  Hebrew  tribes  had  each  its  own 
standard.  That  of  Ephraim,  for  instance,  was  a  steer; 
of  Benjamin,  a  wolf.  Among  the  Greeks,  the  Athenians 
had  an  owl,  and  the  Thebans  a  sphynx.  The  standard 
of  Romulus  was  a  bundle  of  hay  tied  to  a  pole;  after- 
wards a  human  hand,  and  finally  an  eagle. 

Eagles  were  at  first  made  of  wood;  then  of  silver, 
with  thunderbolts  of  gold.  Under  Caesar  they  were  all 
gold,  without  thunderbolts,  and  were  carried  on  a  long 
pike.  The  Germans  formerly  fastened  a  streamer  to  a 
lance,  which  the  duke  carried  in  front  of  the  army. 
Russia  and  Austria  adopted  the  double-headed  eagle 
The  ancient  national  flag  of  England,  all  know,  was  the 
banner  of  St.  George — a  white  field  with  a  red  cross. 
This  was  at  first  used  in  the  American  colonies,  but  sev- 
eral changes  were  afterwards  made. 

Of  course,  when  they  separated  from  the  mother 
country,  it  was  necessary  to  have  a  distinct  flag  of  their 
own,  and  the  Continental  Congress  appointed  Dr.  Frank- 
lin, Mr.  Lynch  and  Mr.  Harrison  a  committee  to  take  the 
subject  into  consideration.  They  repaired  to  the  Amer- 
ican army — a  little  over  9,000  strong — then  assembled 
at  Cambridge,  and  after  due  consideration,  adopted  one 


HISTORY   OF   THE   AMERICAN   FLAG.  Ill 

composed  of  seven  white  and  seven  red  stripes,  with  the 
red  and  white  crosses  of  St.  George  and  St.  Andrew  con- 
joined on  a  blue  field  in  the  corner,  and  named  it  "  The 
Great  Union  flag."  The  crosses  of  St.  George  and  St. 
Andrew  were  retained  to  show  the  willingness  of  the 
colonies  to  return  to  their  allegiance  to  the  British 
crown,  if  their  rights  were  secured.  This  flag  was  first 
hoisted  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1776.  In  the  mean- 
time, the  various  colonies  had  adopted  distinctive 
badges,  so  that  the  different  bodies  of  troops  that  flocked 
to  the  army  had  each  its  own  banner.  In  Connecticut 
each  regiment  had  its  own  peculiar  standard,  on  which 
were  represented  the  arms  of  the  colony,  with  the 
motto:  "Qui  transtidit  sustinet " — he  who  transplanted  us 
will  sustain  us.  The  one  that  Gen.  Putnam  gave  to  the 
breeze  on  Prospect  Hill  on  the  18th  of  July,  1775,  was  a 
red  flag  with  this  motto  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other, 
the  words  inscribed,  "An  Appeal  to  Heaven."  That  of 
the  floating  batteries  was  a  white  ground  with  the  same 
"Appeal  to  heaven  "  upon  it.  It  is  supposed  that  at 
Bunker  Hill  our  troops  carried  a  red  flag  with  a  pine 
tree  on  a  white  field  in  the  corner.  The  first  flag  in 
South  Carolina  was  blue,  with  a  crescent  in  the  corner, 
and  received  its  first  baptism  under  Col.  Moultrie.  In 
1776  Col.  Gadsen  presented  to  Congress  a  flag  to  be  used 
by  the  navy,  which  consisted  of  a  rattlesnake  on  a  yel- 
low ground,  with  thirteen  rattles,  and  coiled  to  strike. 
The  motto  was,  "Don't  tread  on  me."  "The  Great 
Union  Flag,"  as  described  above,  without  the  crosses, 


112  APPENDIX. 

and  sometimes  with  the  rattlesnake  and  motto,  "  Don't 
tread  on  me,"  was  used  as  a  naval  flag,  and  called  the 
"  Continental  Flag." 

As  the  war  progressed,  different  regiments  and  corps 
adopted  peculiar  flags,  by  which  they  were  designated. 
The  troops  which  Patrick  Henry  raised,  and  called  the 
"  Culpepper  Minute  Men,"  had  a  banner  with  a  rattle- 
snake on  it,  and  the  mottoes,  "  Don't  tread  on  me,"  and 
"Liberty  or  death,"  together  with  their  name.  Mor- 
gan's celebrated  riflemen,  called  the  "Morgan  Rifles,'' 
not  only  had  a  peculiar  uniform,  but  a  flag  of  their 
own,  on  which  was  inscribed,  "  XI  Virginia  Regiment," 
and  the  words,  "  Morgan's  Rifle  Corps."  On  it  was  also 
the  date,  1776,  surrounded  by  a  wreath  of  laurel. 
Wherever  this  banner  floated  the  soldiers  knew  that 
deadly  work  was  being  done. 

When  the  gallant  Pulaski  was  raising  a  body  of  cav- 
alry, in  Baltimore,  the  nuns  of  Bethlehem  sent  him  a 
banner  of  crimson  silk,  with  emblems  on  it,  wrought  by 
their  own  hands.  That  of  Washington's  Life  Guard  was 
made  of  white  silk,  with  various  devices  upon  it,  and 
the  motto,  "Conquer  or  die." 

It  doubtless  always  will  be  customary  in  this  country, 
during  a  war,  for  different  regiments  to  have  flags  pre- 
sented to  them  with  various  devices  upon  them.  It  was 
so  during  the  recent  war  of  the  Rebellion,  but  as  the 
stars  and  stripes  supplant  them  all,  so  in  our  revolution- 
ary struggle  the  "Great  Union  Flag,"  which  was  raised  in 


HISTORY   OF  THE   AMERICAN   FLAG.  113 

Cambridge,  took  the  place  of  all  others  and  became  the 
flag  of  the  American  army. 

But  in  1777,  Congress,  on  the  19th  day  of  June, 
passed  the  following  resolution: 

Resolved,  That  the  flag  of  the  thirteen  United  States  be 
thirteen  stripes,  alternate  red  and  white;  that  the  union  be 
thirteen  stars,  white  in  a  blue  field,  representing  a  new  con- 
stellation. 

A  constellation,  however,  could  not  well  be  represented 
on  a  flag,  and  so  it  was  changed  into  a  circle  of  stars,  to 
represent  harmony  and  union.  Red  is  supposed  to 
represent  courage,  white,  integrity  of  purpose,  and  blue 
steadfastness,  love  and  faith.  This  flag,  however,  was 
not  used  till  the  following  autumn,  and  waved  first  over 
the  memorable  battle-field  of  Saratoga. 

"  The  first  flag,  according  to  this  design,"  says  Wm. 
J.  Canby,  "  was  made  by  Mrs.  Elizabath  Ross.  Three 
of  her  daughters  in  Philadelphia  confirm  this  fact, 
founding  their  belief,  of  course,  not  upon  what  they  saw, 
for  it  was  made  many  years  before  they  were  born,  but 
upon  what  their  mother  had  often  told  them. 

"A  niece  of  this  lady,  Mrs.  Margaret  Boggs,  aged 
ninty-five  years,  residing  in  Germantown,  is  conversant 
with  the  fact. 

"  The  house  in  which  the  flag  was  made  still  stands 
— No.  239  Arch  street,  Philadelphia — the  last  of  an  old 
row. 

"  It  is  related  that  when  Congress  had  decided  upon 
the  design,  Col.  Geo.  Ross  and  General  Washington 


114  APPENDIX. 

visited  Mrs.  Ross,  and  asked  her  to  make  the  banner. 
She  said:  'I  don't  know  whether  I  can,  but  I'll  try,' 
and  directly  suggested  to  the  gentlemen  that  the  design 
was  wrong,  in  that  the  stars  were  six-cornered  and  not 
five-cornered,  as  they  should  be.  This  was  corrected, 
she  made  the  flag,  Congress  accepted  it,  and  for  half  a 
dozen  years  this  lady  furnished  the  government  with  all 
the  national  flags,  having,  of  course,  a  large  assistance. 
This  lady  was  also  the  wife  of  Claypole,  one  of  the  lineal 
descendants  of  Oliver  Cromwell." 

Thus  our  flag  was  born,  which  to-day  is  known, 
respected,  and  feared  round  the  entire  globe.  In  1794 
it  received  a  slight  modification,  evidently  growing  out 
of  the  intention  at  that  time  of  Congress  to  add  a  new 
stripe  with  every  additional  State  that  came  into  the 
Union,  for  it  passed  that  year  the  following  resolution : 

Resolved,  That  from  and  after  the  1st  day  of  May,  Anno 
Domini  1795,  the  flag  of  the  United  States  be  fifteen  stripes, 
alternate  red  and  white.  That  the  union  be  fifteen  stars, 
white  in  a  blue  field. 

In  1818  it  was,  by  another  resolution  of  Congress, 
changed  back  into  thirteen  stripes,  with  twenty-one 
stars,  in  which  it  was  provided  that  a  new  star  should 
be  added  on  the  admission  of  each  new  State.  That 
resolution  has  never  been  rescinded,  and  now  thirty- 
eight  stars  blaze  on  our  banner.  The  symbol  of  our 
nationality,  the  record  of  our  glory,  it  has  become  dear 
to  the  heart  of  the  people.  On  the  sea  and  on  the  land 
its  history  has  been  one  to  swell  the  heart  with  pride. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   AMERICAN   FLAG.  115 

The  most  beautiful  flag  in  the  world  in  its  appearance, 
it  is  stained  by  no  disgrace,  for  it  has  triumphed  in 
every  struggle.  Through  three  wars  it  bore  us  on  to 
victory,  and  in  the  last  terrible  struggle  against  treason, 
though  baptized  in  the  blood  of  its  own  children,  not  a 
star  was  effaced,  and  it  still  waves  over  a  united  nation. 

When  freedom  from  her  mountain  height, 

Unfurled  her  standard  to  the  air, 
She  tore  the  azure  robe  of  night, 

And  set  the  stars  of  glory  there ! 
She  mingled  with  its  gorgeous  dyes 
The  milky  baldric  of  the  skies, 
And  striped  its  pure  celestial  white 
With  streakings  of  the  morning  light. 
Then,  from  his  mansion  in  the  sun, 
She  called  her  eagle-bearer  down, 
And  gave  into  his  mighty  hand 
The  symbol  of  her  chosen  laud ! 

Majestic  monarch  of  the  cloud. 

Who  rear'st  aloft  thy  regal  form, 
To  hear  the  tempest  trumping  loud 
And  see  the  lightning  lances  driven, 

When  strive  the  warriors  of  the  storm 
And  rolls  the  thunder-drum  of  heaven! 
Child  of  the  sun  !  to  thee  'tis  given 

To  guard  the  banner  of  the  free ; 
To  hover  in  the  sulphur  smoke, 
To  ward  away  the  battle-stroke, 
And  bid  its  blcudings  shine  afar 
Like  rainbows  on  the  cloud  of  war — 

The  harbingers  of  Victory ! 

Flag  of  the  brave!   thy  folds  shall  fly, 
The  sign  of  hope  and  triumph  high! 
When  speaks  the  signal-trumpet  tone, 
And  the  long  line  comes  glistening  on, 
(Ere  yet  the  life-blood,  warm  and  wet, 
Hath  dimmed  the  glistening  bayonet), 
Each  soldier's  eye  shall  brightly  turn 
To  where  thy  sky-born  glories  burn; 
And  as  his  springing  steps  advance, 
Catch  war  and  vengeance  from  the  glance. 
And  when  the  cannon  mouthings  loud 
Heave  in  wild  wreaths  the  battle-shroud, 
And  gory  sabers  rise  and  fall 
Like  shoots  of  flame  on  midnight's  pall — 
There  shall  thy  meteor-glances  glow, 
And  cowering'foes  shall  sink  beneath 
Each  gallant  arm  that  strikes  below 
That  lovely  messenger  of  death. 


116  APPENDIX. 

Flag  of  the  seas !  on  ocean  wave 
Thy  stars  shall  glitter  o'er  the  brave, 
When  death,  careering  on  the  gale, 
Sweeps  darkly  'round  the  bellied  sail, 
And  frightened  waves  rush  wildly  back 
Before  the  broadside's  reeling  rack, 
Each  dying  wanderer  of  the  sea 
Shall  look  at  once  to  heaven  and  thee, 
And  smile  to  see  thy  splendors  fly 
In  triumph  o'er  his  closing  eye. 

Flag  of  the  free  heart's  hope  and  home — 
By  angel  hands  to  valor  given ! 
Thy  stars  have  lit  the  welkin  dome, 
And  all  thy  hues  were  born  in  heaven. 
Forever  float  that  standard  sheet ! 
Where  breathes  the  foe  that  falls  before  us, 
With  Freedom's  soil  beneath  our  feet, 
And  Freedom's  banner  streaming  o'er  us ! 

— J.  Rodman  Drake. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  HISTORY  OF  THE 
REBELLION. 


1851K 


11.  A  Southern  Convention  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  at  which 
eight  States  are  represented,  passes  resolutions  in  favor  of 
opening  the  slave  trade. 

JUNE. 

8.    A   Slaveholders'  Convention  assembles  at  Baltimore, 
Md.    Delegates  from  each  county  represented. 

OCTOBER. 

16.  John  Brown  and  fifteen  white  men  and  five  negroes 
seize  the  arsenal  at  Harper's   Ferry   and  kill  four  of  the 
inhabitants. 

17.  The  militia  and  Federal  troops  arrive  at  Harper's  Ferry 
and  besiege  Brown  and  his  men  in  the  armory  buildings. 

18.  The  armory  captured  by  Colonel  Lee  (now  General). 
One  marine  and  twelve  of  Brown's  men  killed.    Brown  and 
four  men  taken  prisoners,  and  two  escape,  but  are  recaptured. 

NOVEMBER. 

19.  The  people  of  Charleston,  Va.,  excited  by  the  rumors 
of  an  attempt  to  rescue  John  Brown  and  Governor  Wise  calms 
their  fears  by  guarding  the  place  with  a  Richmond  regiment. 

30.  In  the  House  of  Representatives  of  South  Carolina  a 
resolution  is  offered  that  "South  Carolina  is  ready  to  enter, 
together  with  other  slave-holding  States,  or  such  as  desire  pres- 
ent action,  into  the  formation  of  a  Southern  Confederacy." 

DECEMBER. 

2.    John  Brown  and  two  negroes  hung. 

20.  The  medical  students  from  Southern  States  in  Philadel- 

§hia  colleges  resolve  to  secede  and  join  colleges  in  their  own 
tates. 

H7 


118  APPENDIX. 

I860. 

FEBRUAEY. 

2.    The  trial  of  Stevens  commenced  at  Harper's  Ferry. 

MARCH. 
16.    Stevens  and  Hazlitt  hung  at  Charleston,  Va. 

APRIL. 

5.  Scene  in  Congress  between  Messrs.  Potter  and  Roger 
A.  Pryor. 

23.  The  Democratic  National  Convention  assembles  at 
Charleston,  S.  C. 

30.  The  Cincinnati  Platform  rejected  by  the  National 
Democratic  Convention,  and  upon  the  adopting  of  a  platform, 
the  Southern  delegates  secede. 

MAY. 

4.  The  National  Democratic  Convention  adjourns  until 
June  18. 

9.  The  Constitutional  Union  Convention  at  Baltimore 
nominate  John  Bell  for  President  and  Edward  Everett  for 
Vice. 

11.  A  scene  in  the  House  between  Messrs.  Thayer  and 
Grow. 

16.  The  National  Republican  Convention  assembles  at 
Chicago. 

18.  The  Republican  Convention  nominate  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, of  Illinois,  for  President,  and  Hannibal  Hamlin,  of 
Maine,  for  Vice. 

JUNE. 

1.    Maryland  prohibits  the  manumission  of  slaves. 

12.  The  National  Democratic  Convention  meets  at  Rich- 
mond and  adjourns  until  the  21st. 

18.  The  Baltimore  Convention  (Bell  and  Everett)  re- 
assembles. 

20.    Serious  fight  in  the  Baltimore  Convention. 

23.  The  National  Democratic  Convention  meets  at  Balti- 
more, and  nominates  Douglas  and  Fitzpatrick;  the  seceders 
also  meet  and  nominate  Breckinridge  and  Lane. 

JULY. 

20.  Visit  of  the  Savannah  Blues  to  New  York. — A  remark- 
able meteor  makes  its  appearance. 

AUGUST. 

16.  A  Douglas  State  Convention  at  Syracuse  forms  a 
Union  ticket. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF   THE   REBELLION.      119 
OCTOBER. 

18.  The  Governor  of  South  Carolina  calls  an  extra  session 
of  the  Legislature. 

NOVEMBER. 

6.  Abraham  Lincoln  elected  President  and  Hannibal 
Hamlin  Vice-President;  Lincoln  and  Hamlin,  180  electoral 
votes;  Bell  and  Everett,  39;  Breckinridge  and  Lane,  72;  Doug- 
las and  Johnson,  12. 

22.  Banks  in  Washington,  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia 
suspend  specie  payment. 

DECEMBER. 

5.  The  United  States  Treasury  suspends  specie  payment. 

6.  A  Committee  of  thirty-three  appointed  by  the  House 
to  take  measures  for  the  perpetuity  of  the  Union. 

11.  Resignation  of  Howell  Cobb,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 

12.  General  Scott  arrives  in  Washington  to  advise  with  the 
President. 

13.  Joint  resolution  introduced  into  Congress  proposing 
important  amendments  to  the  Constitution. 

14.  Lewis  Cass,  Secretary  of  State,  resigns. 

15.  President  Buchanan  appoints  January  4th  a  day  of 
fasting  and  prayer. 

17.  A  Secession  Convention  assembles  in  Columbia,  S.  C., 
but  adjourns  to  Charleston  in  consequence  of  the  small-pox. 

20.  The  Convention  at  Charleston  passes  the  ordinance 
carrying  South  Carolina  out  of  the  Union. 

24.  Attempted  removal  of  ordnance  from  the  arsenal  at 
Pittsburg,  Pa.,  prevented  by  the  citizens. 

26.  Fort  Moultrie  evacuated  by  Major  Robert  Anderson, 
who  retires  with  his  troops  to  Fort  Sumter. 

29.  John  B.  Floyd,  Secretary  of  War,  resigns. 

30.  Seizure  by  the  citizens  of  the  arsenal  at  Charlestown, 
S.  C. 

1861. 


3.  The  Crittenden  compromise  resolutions  offered  in  the 
Senate. 

4.  Fort  Morgan,  Mobile  Harbor,  seized  by  State  troops. 

5.  The  Postmaster  at  Charleston  refuses  to  make  returns 
to    the  United    States  Government.— The    Star  of  the    West 
chartered  and  sent  to  Fort  Sumter  to  re-inforce  Major  Ander- 
son. 

8.    Forts  Johnson  and  Caswell,  N.  C.,  seized  by  rebels.— 
Secretary  Thompson  resigns  from  the  Interior  Department. 


120  APPENDIX. 

9.  Mississippi  secedes. — The  first  gun  of  the  rebellion 
fired  ;  the  forts  on  Morris  Island  fire  on  the  Star  of  the  West, 
and  she  puts  to  sea. 

10.  The  steamer  Joseph  Whitney  leaves  Boston  with  re-in- 
forcements  for  the  troops  at  Pensacola,  Fla.— Gen."  John  A. 
Dix  made  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. — Florida  secedes. 

11.  Alabama  secedes. 

12.  The  Pensacola  Navy-yard  seized  by  rebels  and  the 
cutter  Lewis  Cass  seized  at  New  Orleans. 

14.  The  Senators  from  Mississippi  withdraw  from  Con- 
gress. 

15.  The  coast  survey  steamer  Dana  seized  at  St.  Augus- 
tine, Fla. 

17.    Batteries  commanding  the  Mississippi  erected  at  Vicks- 
burg. 

19.  Georgia  secedes. — Fort  Neale,  at  Little  Washington,  N. 
C.,  captured  by  the  rebels. 

20.  The  fort  at  Ship  Island  captured  by  rebels. 

21.  The    Alabama    delegation    in    Congress  leave. — Fort 
Neale,  at  Little  Washington,  N.  C.,  retaken  by  a  party  of 
sailors. 

22.  Seizure  in  New  York  of  muskets  intended  for  Savan- 
nah. 

23.  The  State  of  Connecticut  makes  military  preparations. 

24.  Ex-President  John  Tyler  arrives  in  Washington  as  a 
Commissioner  from  Virginia. — The  arsenal  at  Augusta,  Ga., 
seized  by  State  troops. 

25.  Rhode  Island  repeals  her  Personal  Liberty  Bill. 

26.  Louisiana  secedes. 

29.  The    Georgia  Convention  empower  the  governor  to 
grant  letters  of  marque. 

30.  The  North  Carolina  Legislature  calls  a  State  Conven- 
tion to  meet  February  28. — The  forts  on  the  Tortugas  re-in- 
forced. — Tennessee    appoints  commissioners  to  proceed    to 
Washington. 

FEBRUARY. 

1.  The  Charlestonians  prepare  to  besiege  FortSumter. — 
Texas  passes  the  Ordinance  of  Secession. 

2.  The  gold  in  the  New  Orleans  mint  seized  by  the  State. 
4.    The   Peace  Congress  assembles  at  Washington.—  The 

Southern  States  convene  at  Montgomery,  Ala. — Slidell  and 
Benjamin,  of  Louisiana,  leave  the  Senate.— The  Virginia  elec- 
tion for  delegates  to  a  convention  results  in  nineteen-twen- 
tieths  in  favor  of  Union. 

8.  Governor  Brown,  of  Georgia,  seized  seven  vessels  at 
Savannah  in  retaliation  for  the  detention  of  arms  in  New 
York. — The  arsenal  at  Little  Bock,  Ark.,  seized. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY    OF  THE   REBELLION.      121 

9.  Jefferson  Davis  elected  President  and  Alexander  H. 
Stephens  Vice-President  of  the  Southern  Confederacy  by  the 
Convention  at  Montgomery,  Ala.,  which  also  adopts  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States  as  its  Constitution. — At  the  Ten- 
nessee election,  a  large  majority  is  given  in  favor  of  Union. — 
Governor  Pickens  declares  Sullivan's  Island  under  martial 
law. 

13.  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Hannibal  Hamlin  officially  de- 
clared elected  President  and  Vice-President. 

18.  Jeff.  Davis  and  Alexander  H.  Stephens  inaugurated  at 
Montgomery,  Ala. — Twiggs,  surrenders  the  military  ports  in 
Texas  to  Van  Dorn. 

22.  Discovery  of  a  plot  in  Baltimore  to  assassinate  Mr. 
Lincoln;  the  President  elect  passes  through  Baltimore  dis- 
guised in  a  Scotch  cap  and  plaid  cloak. 

27.  The  propositions  of  the  Peace  Congress  presented  to 
and  adopted  by  the  Senate,  and  the  resolutions  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  thirty-three  by  the  House. 

28.  Congress  agrees  to  amend  the  Xllth  Article  of  the 
Constitution. 

MARCH. 

1.  The  amended  Fugitive  Slave  Bill  passes  the  House. 

2.  General  Twiggs  dismissed   the  service  for  treason. — 
The  Texans  capture  the  cutter  Dodge  at  Galveston. 

4.  Mr.  Lincoln  inaugurated. — Texas  declared  out  of  the 
Union. 

11.    The  Maine  Personal  Liberty  Bill  repealed. 

19.  The  New  York  vessels  at  Savannah  released. 

21.  Alabama  cedes  a  district  ten  miles  square  at  Mont- 
gomery for  a  seat  of  government  for  the  Confederacy. 

26.  The    South    Carolina    Convention    re-assembled    at 
Charleston. 

27.  The  Peace  Conference   proposition  defeated  in  the 
Virginia  Convention. 

APRIL. 

6.  The  Virginia  Convention  adopts  a  resolution  favoring 
secession. 

8.    Heavy  re-inforcements  of  troops  leave  for  Fort  Sumter. 

11.  Beauregard  demands  the  surrender  of  Sumter. 

12.  The  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter  commenced  and 
continued  throughout  the  night. 

13.  Major  Anderson  surrenders  Fort  Sumter. 

14.  Major  Anderson  leaves  Fort  Sumter  in  the  Baltic2  after 
having  formally  surrendered  the  fort  and  saluting   his  flag 
with  the  honors  of  war;  several  men  killed  by  the  explosion 
of  a  gun  while  saluting  ;  no  lives  lost  in  the  bombardment. 


122  APPENDIX. 

15.  The  President  calls  out  75,000  troops. 

16.  Viriginia  secedes. — Fort  Pickens  re-inforced. 

17.  Jeff.  Davis  grants  letters  of  marqne. — Harper's  Ferry 
Arsenal  destroyed  by  order  of  Lieutenant  Jones,  U.  S.  A. — 
The  Star  of  the  West  captured  off  Indianola. 

19.  Attack   on  the  Sixth  Massachusetts  Regiment  while 
passing  through    Baltimore. — The  Seventh  New   York  State 
militia  leave  for  Washington.— A  blockade  of  Southern  ports 
ordered  by  the  President. 

20.  General  Dix  issues  his  order,  "  Whoever  dares  to  pull 
down  the  American  flag,  shoot  him  on  the  spot." 

21.  The  Portsmouth,  Va.,  Navy-yard  and  the  vessels  there- 
at destroyed  by  the  rebels. 

2-1.    Fort  Smith.  Ark.,  seized  by  the  State  troops. 
26-    Owing  to  the  destruction  of  the  railroad  and  telegraph 
lines  communication  is  opened  with  Washington  by  water. 
27.    The  arsenal  at  Fayetteville,  N.  C.,  seized  by  the  rebels. 

29.  The  President  orders  an  additional  volunteer  force, 
making  158,000  men  in  all,  and  an  increase  of  the  regular  army 
to  85,000. 

30.  The  rebel  Congress  meets  at  Montgomery,  Ala. — Ten- 
nessee secedes. 

MAY. 

3.    The  President  again  calls  for  more  troops. 

6.  Arkansas  secedes. 

7.  Arlington  Heights,  opposite  Washington,  seized  by 
Virginians. 

9.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Reeve  and  313  men  surrender  to 
Van  Dorn  at  San  Antonio,  Texas. 

10.  Captain  Lyon  captures  Frost's  brigade,  in  camp  near 
St.  Louis. — The  pirate  Spray  captures  the  schooner  Atwater, 
off  Apalachicola. 

13.    General  Butler  occupies  Baltimore. 

19.  Engagement  between  the  Sewall's  Point  Battery  and 
four  gunboats. 

21.    North  Carolina  secedes. 

24.  Colonel  Ellsworth  occupies  Alexandria,  Va.,  and  is 
killed. — Kentucky  passes  resolutions  of  mediation  and  neu- 
trality.— General  Butler  declares  slaves  to  be  contraband  of 
war. 

30.  Secretary  Cameron  declares  slaves  contraband  of  war. 

31.  Engagement  at  Acquia  Creek,  Va.;  attack  by  the  gun- 
boats. 

JUNE. 

2.  The  pirate  Savannah  captured  off  Charleston  by  the 
brig  Ferry. — Colonel  Kelly  has  an  engagement  at  Philippa, 
Va.,  and  routs  the  rebels. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF  THE   REBELLION.      123 

3.    Stephen  A.  Douglas  dies  at  Chicago. 

10.  Union  troops,  under  General  Butler,  defeated  at  Big 
Bethel,  Va. — The  pirate  Wm.  H.  Webb  captured  by  the  Niagara 
off  Key  West,  Fla. 

14.    Harper's  Ferry  evacuated  by  the  rebels. 

17.  General  R.  C.  Schenck  makes  a  reconnoissance  with 
a  railroad  train  on  Vienna. — General  Lyoii  has  an  engagement 
with  Price  at  Boonville,  Mo. 

24.  The  English  ship  Minion,  with  arms  for  the  rebels, 
captured  off  Charleston. 

26.  President  Lincoln  made  an  LL.  D.  by  Columbia  Col- 
lege.— The  President  officially  recognizes  Governor  Pierpont, 
of  West  Virginia. 

27.  Captain  James  H.  Ward,  of  the  Potomac  flotilla,  killed 
at  Matthias  Point,  Va. 

29.    The  pirate  Sumter  escapes  from  New  Orleans. 

JULY. 

1.  General  Patterson    crosses  the  Potomac  at  Williams- 
port,  Md.,  and  surprises  the  enemy  at  Haynesville. — A  divi- 
sion of  General  H.  A.  Wise's  army  routed  at  Buchanan,  Va., 
by  General  Morris. 

2.  General  Patterson  routs  the  rebels  near  Martinsburg, 
Va. — The  Legislature  of  West  Virginia  organizes. 

3.  General  Fremont  assigned  to  the  Department  of  the 
West.— Galveston,  Texas,  blockaded. 

4.  The  extra  session  of  Congress  convenes. — General  Pat- 
terson pursues    the   rebels  through   Martinsburg,   Va. — The 
pirate  Sumter  captures  the  brig  Cuba,  bound  from  Trinidad  to 
London. 

5.  Engagement  between  Colonel  Sigel  and  the  rebels  un- 
der Jackson  and  Raines  at  Brier  Forks,  near  Carthage,  Mo. 

6.  The  pirate  Jeff.  Davis  captures  the  John  Welch  off  Hat- 
teras. — The  pirate  Sumter  arrives  off  Cienfuegos  with  seven 
vessels,  captured  off  the  Cuban  coast. 

7.  The    Captain  General    of  Cuba  releases  the   Sumter 
prizes. 

8.  $5,000,000  loaned  to  the  government  by  New  York  mer- 
chants in  five  hours.— General  Patterson  heavily  re-inforced  at 
Martinsburg.  Va. 

9.  The  Jeff .  Davis  captures  five  prizes  off  Nantucket,  and 
on  the  Long  Island  coast. — The  rebels  evacuate  Guyandotte, 
Va. 

-  10.    The  President  authorized  Jo  call  out  500,000  volunteers. 

11.  The  Army    and  Navy   Appropriation   Bills  pass  Con- 
gress.— Battle  at  Rich  Mountain,   Va.,  in  which  General  Mc- 
Clellan  defeats  Pegram. 


124  APPENDIX. 

12.  The  rebels  evacuate  Laurel  Hill,  Va. 

13.  General  McClellan  occupies  Beverly,  Va. ;  Garnett  de- 
feated and  killed  at  Carrick's  Ford,  Va. ;  Pegrarn  surrenders. 

15.  Johnson  breaks  camp  at  Bunker  Hill  and  retreats  on 
Winchester,  Va. ;  Patterson  follows  and  occupies  Bunker  Hill. 

16.  The  entire  army,  under  General  McDowell,  moves 
toward  Manassas  in  five  divisions. 

17.  General  Patterson  occupies   Charlestown,  Va. — Fort 
Lafayette  designated  as  a  military  prison. 

18.  Johnston  moves  from  Winchester  toward  Manassas 
Gap. 

19.  Johnston  re-inforces  Beauregard  at  Bull  Run,  and  Gen- 
eral McDowell's  forces  are  in  line  of  battle. 

21.  Battle  of  Bull  Run,  Va. ;  the  Union  army  defeated, 
and  falls  back  on  Washington  in  confusion;  Union  loss,  481 
killed;  1,011    wounded,  and  700    prisoners;  rebel  loss,  269 
killed;  and  1,483  wounded. — General  Dix  takes  command  in 
Baltimore. 

22.  General  McClellan  summoned  to  the  command  of  the 
army. 

23.  Re-inforcements  for  Washington  called  for. 

25.  Governor  Morgan  calls  for  25,000  more  troops. — Gen- 
eral Cox  occupies  Charlestown,  on  the  Kanawha  River,  Va. 

27.  Hampton,    Va.,    evacuated    and    burned    by    Union 
troops. 

AUGUST. 

1.  The  rebel  gunboat  Petrel  sunk  off  Charleston,  S.  C.,  by 
a  broadside  from  the  St.  Lawrence. 

2.  General  Lyon  has  an  engagement  at  Dug  Spring,  Mo., 
with  McCulloch;  the  rebels  defeated. 

6.  Congress  adjourns  sine  die. 

7.  Breckinridge  makes  a  speech    in  Baltimore,  and  is 
mobbed. 

9.    Battle  at  Wilson's  Creek,  Mo.;  General  Lyon  killed. — 
The  entire  debt  of  the  United  States,  $111,000,000. 

16.    The  President  issues  a  proclamation  confiscating  the 
property  of  rebels. 

18.  The  pirate  Jeff.  Davis  wrecked  on  St.  Augustine  Bar, 
Fla. 

19.  A  battle  at  Charleston,  Mo. ;  rebels  defeated. — Missouri 
admitted  into  the  Southern  Confederacy. 

26.  Captain  Foote  (afterward  Admiral),  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina, ordered  to  the  Western  fleet.    Engagement  at  Cross 
Lane,  Va. ;  the  rebels  defeated. 

28.  Commodore  Stringham's  fleet  opens  fire  on  Fort  Clark, 
Hatteras  Inlet,  and  reduces  it. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY  ~'OF  THE    REBELLION.      125 

29.  Forts  Hatteras  and  Clark,  Hatteras  Inlet,  N.  C.,  sur- 
render to  Commodore  Stringham  and  General  Butler,  with 
Commodore  Barren,  rebel  navy,  and  694  prisoners. 

30.  Fort  Morgan,  at  Ocracoke  Inlet,  N.  C.,  abandoned  by 
the  rebels. 

SEPTEMBER. 

1.    The  rebels  routed  at  Boone  C.  H.,  Va.,  and  the  town 
burned. 

5.  General  Grant  announces  the  invasion  of  Hickinan, 
Ky.,  by  rebels. 

6.  Paducah,  Ky.,  occupied  by  General  Grant. 

10.  Battle  of  Carnifax's  Ferry,  in  which  Rosecrans  de- 
feats Floyd. 

11.  The  gunboat  Kearsarge  launched  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 

12.  The  President  modifies  Fremont's  emancipation  proc- 
lamation. 

14.    The  pirate  Judith  destroyed  in  Pensacola  Harbor. 

16.  General  Dix  arrests  the  officers  and  members  of  the 
Maryland  Legislature,  and  sends  them  to  Fort  McHenry. 

18.  Price  repulsed  at  Lexington,  Mo.,  by  Colonel  Mul- 
ligan. 

20.  Colonel  Mulligan  and  his  entire  command  surrender 
to  Price,  at  Lexington,  Mo. 

23.  Commodore  Stringham  relieved  by  Commodore  Golds- 
borough. 

26.  The  first  national  fast  day  under  President  Lincoln's 
administration. 

28.  Governor  Morgan  made  Major  General  of  Volunteers. 

OCTOBER. 

8.  General  W.  T.  Sherman  takes  command  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Cumberland,  relieving  General  Robert  Ander- 
son. 

9.    "  Billy  "  Wilson's  Camp  on  Santa  Rosas  Island,  Fla., 
attacked  by  the  rebels,  but  the  enemy  is  driven  off. 

17.  Mason  and  Slidell  arrive  at  Havana  in  the  Nashville. 

21.  Battle  of  Ball's  Bluff;  Colonel  E.  D.  Baker  killed.— 
Zollicoffer  repulsed  at  Wild  Cat,  Ky. 

22.  The  Potomac  blockaded  by  rebel  batteries  at  Matthias 
Point, 

25.  Commodore  Paulding  appointed  to  command  the 
Brooklyn  Navy-yard. — Springfield,  Mo.,  captured  by  the 
troops  under  Fremont. 

29.  The  naval  expedition  leaves  Hampton  Roads  for  Port 
Royal,  S.  C.,  under  Commodore  Dupont. 

31.  General  Scott  resigns  as  Brevet  Lieutenant  General, 
and  retires  to  private  life. 


126  APPENDIX. 

NOVEMBER. 

1.  General    Scott's  resignation  accepted  by  the  Presi- 
dent, who  appoints  General  McClellan  to  the  chief  command 
of  the  armies. — General  Dix  issues  an'  order  regulating  the 
Maryland  elections. — Floyd  defeated  by  Rosecrans  at  Gauley 
Bridge. 

2.  Fremont  relieved  of  command  in  the  Army  of  the 
West,  by  General  David  Hunter. 

4.  The  expedition  of  Commodore  Dupont  arrives  off  Port 
Royal,  S.  C. 

7.  Battle  at  Belrnont,  Mo.;  the  rebels  under  Sidney  A. 
Johnston  defeated  by  Grant. — Naval  engagement  in  Port  Royal 
Harbor;  the  rebel  forts  Beauregard  and  Walker  captured. 

8.  General  Buell  assigned  to  the  Department  of   Ken- 
tucky.— James  M.  Mason  and  John  Slidell,  rebel  ministers  to 
England  and  France,  seized  on  board  the  Trent,  by  Commodore 
Wilkes,  of  the  SanJacinto. — Rebels  defeated  at  Piketon,  Ky., 
by  General  Nelson. 

9.  .  General  Scott  and  Mr.  Thurlow  Weed  leave  on  a  mis- 
sion to  Europe. 

10.  The  rebels  capture  Guyandotte,  Va.,  and  massacre  the 
garrison. — Floyd  defeated  on  the  Kanawlia  River,  Va.' 

12.  General  Halleck  assigned  to  the  Department  of  Mis- 
souri.— The  pirate  Beauregard  captured. 

15.  The  troops  in  the  volunteer  service  now  number 
480,000  men. 

22.  A  general  bombardment  of  Pensacola  and  the  navy- 
yard  by  Colonel  Brown  at  Fort  Pickens;  the  town  and  navy- 
yard  destroyed. 

23.  The  pirate  Sumter  escapes  from  the  Iroquois  at  Mar- 
tinique. 

27.  The  gunboat  Coeur  d'Leon  runs  the  blockade  of  the 
Potomac,  and  arrives  at  Fortress  Monroe. — The  Constitution 
leaves  Hampton  Roads  with  General  Phelps,  first  part  of  the 
Butler  expedition  to  New  Orleans. 

DECEMBER. 

4.  John  C.  Breckinridge  expelled  from  the  United  States 
Senate. — Mr.  Saulbury's  peace  resolutions  tabled  by  the  Sen- 
ate.— Holman's  Crittenden  resolutions  tabled  by  the  House. 

6.  Beaufort,  S.  C.,  occupied  by  General  Stevens  of  Gen- 
eral W.  T.  Sherman's  command. 

11.  No  more  regiments  to  be  raised  by  governors  of  States, 
except  upon  special  order  irom  the  War  Department;  Senator 
Wilson  says  there  are  men  enough  in  the  army. 

13.  Battle  at  Alleghany  Camp,  Pocahontas  County,  Va.; 
rebels  defeated. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF   THE  REBELLION.      127 

14.    General  Burnside's  expedition  against  the  North  Caro- 
lina coast  leaves  New  York  for  Annanolis. 

20.    General  Ord  defeats  the  rebels  at  Dranesville,  Va. 

23.  Price  passes  through  Springfield,  Mo.,  in  full  retreat 
for  Arkansas. 

26.  General  Scott  returns  to  New  York  from  Europe. — 
Mr.  Seward  agrees  to  surrender  Mason  and  Slidell;  Bull  Run 
Russell  "acts  as  if  he  heard  good  news." 

28.    The  New  York  banks  suspend  specie  payments. 

1862. 

JANUARY. 

1.  Mason  and  Slidell  surrendered. — Engagements  at  Port 
Royal  Ferry,  S.  C.,  and  Pensacola,  Fla. 

4.    General  Milroy  burns  Huttonsville,  Va. 

9.  General  Burnside's  expedition  leaves  Annapolis. — 
General  Lander  evacuates  Romney,  Va. 

10.  Polk  and  Johnston,  of   Missouri,  expelled  from  the 
Senate. 

11.  The  Pensacola  runs  the  blockade  of  the  Potomac  and 
arrives  at  Hampton  Roads. 

12.  General  Garfield  occupies  Prestonburgh,  -Ky. 

13.  General  Cameron  resigns  from  the  War  Department. 
17.    Ex-President   John  Tyler  dies   at   Richmond,  Va. — 

Mr.  Cameron  confirmed  as  Minister  to  Russia. 

19.  Battle  of  Mill  Spring,  Ky. 

20.  Rebels  evacuate  Mill  Spring,  Ky. 

24.  Commerce,  Mo.,  sacked  by  Jeff.  Thompson. 

27.  The  President  orders  a  forward  movement  of  all  the 
armies,  to  take  place  on  February  22. 

30.    The  Monitor  launched  at  Green  Point,  L.  I. 

FEBRUARY. 

1.  It  is  ordered  that  pirates  shall  be  placed  on  the  same 
footing  as  prisoners  of  war. 

4.  General  Grant  arrives  at  Fort  Henry,  Tenn.,  and  com- 
mences the  attack. 

6.  Fort  Henry  surrenders  to  General  Grant  and   Flag- 
officer  Foot,  after  an  engagement. 

7.  General  Lander  occupies  Romney,  Va. — General  Burn- 
side  gains  a  victory  on  Roanokellsland,  N.  C. — The  rebels 
evacuate  Bowling  Green,   Ky.,  in  consequence  of  General 
Grant's  successes. — Appropriations  made  for  twenty  iron-clad 
vessels. 

10.    An  expedition  ascends  the  Tennessee  to  Florence,  Ala, 


128  APPENDIX. 

13.  General  Grant  invests  Fort  Donelson,  Tenn. 

14.  Battle  of  Fort  Donelson,  Tenn.,  commenced.  —  The 
President  offers  an  amnesty  to  the  rebels. 

16.    Clarksville,  Tenn.,  evacuated  by  the  rebels.  —  Fort 
Donelson  surrenders  to  General  Grant. 

21.  Battle  at  Valverde,  Texas. 

22.  General  Gillmore  completes  the  investment  of  Fort 
Pulaski,  Ga. 

23.  General  Curtis  occupies  Fayetteville,  Ark. 

24.  General  Nelson,  of  Buell's  command,  occupies  Nash- 
ville, Tenn. 

25.  The  Monitor  put  into  commission. 

27.  General  Banks  occupies  Charlestown,  Va. 

28.  The  rebels  evacuate  Columbus,  Ky. 

MARCH. 

2.  General  Banks  occupies  Martinsburg,  Va. 

3.  Columbus,  Ky.,  occupied  by  Union  troops. 

5.  General  Banks  occupies  Bunker  Hill,  Va. 

6.  General  Joe  Johnston  falls  back  from  Manassas  in  con- 
sequence of  McClellan's  forward  movement. — Battle  of  Pea 
Ridge,  Ark.,  commences  and  continues  on  the  next  day. 

8.  The  President  divides  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  into 
five  corps.— Union  victory  at  Pea  Ridge,  Ark. — The  fight  be- 
tween the  Monitor  and  Herrimac  in  Hampton  Roads. 

9.  Winchester,  Va.,  evacuated  by  the  rebels. 
11.    General  McClellan  occupies  Manassas,  Va. 

14.  General  Burnside  defeats  the  rebels  at  Newbern,  N.  C. 

15.  Flag-officer  Foote  commences  the  bombardment  of 
Island  No.  10. 

19.  General  Burnside  occupies  Little  Washington,  N.  C. 

22.  General  Banks  occupies  Luray,  Va. 

23.  Battle  at  Winchester,  Va. 

26.  Battle  at  Achape  Pass,  New  Mexico. 

31.    General  Geary  occupies  Union  City,  Tenn. 

APRIL. 

4.  Apalachicola,  Fla.,  occupied. — General  McClellan  lands 
upon  the  Peninsula  and  commences  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  Va. 

6  and  7.     Battle    at  Pittsburg    Landing,  Tenn.;  rebels 
defeated. 

7.  Island  No.  10  surrenders  to  Flag-officer  Foote. 

10.  General  Gillmore  commences  the  bombardment  of  Fort 
Pulaski,  Ga. 

11.  General  Mitchell  occupies  Huntsville,  Ala. — Fort  Pu- 
laski surrenders. — The  siege  of  Fort  Macon,  N.  C., commenced. 
— Pocahontas,  Ark.,  occupied  by  General  Curtis. ; 


CHRONOLOGICAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  REBELLION.      129 

12.    Stevenson,  Ala.,  occupied. 

14.     Bombardment  of  Fort  Pillow,  Tenn.,  commenced. 

16.  Battles  at   Lee's  Mill,  Va.;  McClellan's  advance  on 
Wilmington  Island,  Ga. 

17.  General  Banks  occupies  Mount  Jackson,  Va. 

18.  General  McDowell  occupies  Falmouth,  Va. 

24.  Commodore  Farragut  passes  Forts    St.   Phillip  and 
Jackson. 

25.  Fort  Macon,  N.  C.,  surrenders  to  General  Parke. 

26.  New  Orleans  surrenders   to  Commodore  Farragut. — 
Battle  at  Warwick  Creek,  Va. 

28.    Forts  Jackson  and  St.  Phillip  surrender  to  Porter. 

MAY. 

1.    Jasper,  Ala.,  occupied  by  General  Mitchell. 

4.  General  Lee  evacuates  Yorktown,  Va. 

5.  Battle  of  Williarnsburg,  Va. 

7.  Battle  at  West  Point,  Va. 

8.  Engagement  at  McDowell,  Va. 

10.  Norfolk  surrenders  to  General  Wool. — Pensacola,  Fla., 
surrenders. 

11.  The  ram  Merrimac  blown  up  by  Tatnall. 
16.    Naval  engagement  at  Fort  Darling,  Va. 

20.  General  Stoneman  occupies  New  Bridge,  Va. 

21.  General  McClellan's  army  within  five  miles  of  Rich- 
mond, Va. 

23.  General  Banks  evacuates  Strasburg,  Va.,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  advance  of  Jackson. — Commodore  Farragut 
shells  Grand  Gulf.  Miss.— Battle  at  Lewisburg,  Va. 

25.    General  McDowell  occupies  Fredericksburg,  Va. 

27.  General  Williams  occupies  Baton  Rouge,  La.— Battle 
at  Hanover  Court-house,  Va. 

28.  General  Halleck  attacks  Beauregard  at  Corinth,  Miss. 

29.  Corinth,  Miss.,  evacuated  by  the  rebels. 
31.    Battle  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va. 


1.    Jackson  retreats  from  Strasburg,  Va. — Battle  of  Seven 
Pines,  Va. 

5.  Fort  Pillow  evacuated  by  the  rebels. 

6.  Memphis  surrenders  after  the  defeat  of  the  rebel 
navy. — Jackson  routed  at  Harrisonburg. 

7.  General  Negley  opens  fire  on  Chattanooga. 

8.  Battle  at  Cross  Keys,  Va. 

9.  Jackson  defeated  at  Port  Republic,  Va. 

13.    Stuart  makes  a  foray  on  the  right  wing  of  McClellan's 
army. 


130  APPENDIX. 

16.  Battle  on  James'  Island,  S.  C. 

18.    General  Morgan  occupies  Cumberland  Gap,  Ky. 

23.  Commodore  Farragut  opens  fire  on  Vicksburg,"Miss. 

26.  General  McClellan  commences  his  change  of  base  to 
James  River. 

27.  Fremont  relieved  from  the  Mountain  Department. 

28.  Pope  takes  command  of  the  Department  of  Virginia. — 
Farragut  passes  the  Vicksburg  batteries. 

30.  Battle  of  Nelson's  Farm,  Va. 

JULY. 

1.  The  President  calls  for  300,000  men.— Battle  of  Mal- 
vern  Hills;  end  of  the  seven  days'  fight. 

4.    General  McDowell  occupies  Warrenton,  Va. 
10.    The   War  Department  orders   general    exchange    of 
prisoners. — General  Curtis  occupies  Clarendon,  Ark. 
13.     Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  surrenders. 

15.  Naval  engagement  on  the  Mississippi. 

17.  Battle  at  Cynthiana,  Ky. 

20.    Engagement  at  Beaver  Dam,  Va. 

22.  Military  and  naval  commanders  ordered  to  confis- 
cate rebel  property. — General  Halleck  appointed  General-in- 
chief. 

24.  Farragut  retires  from  before  Vicksburg,  Miss. 

28.  Battle  at  Moore's  Mills,  Mo. 

AUGUST. 

4.  The  President  orders  a  draft  of  300,000  men. 

5.  Battle  of  Baton  Rouge,  La. 

6.  The  ram  Arkansas  destroyed  above  Vicksburg. 

8.  The    President    prohibits    citizens  from  leaving  the 
country. 

9.  Battle  of  Cedar  Mountain  Va. 

16.  General  McClellau  evacuates  Harrison's  Landing  with 
his  army. 

22.  Raid  on  Pope's  rear  by  Jackson. 

23.  Battle  of  Catlett's  Station,  Va.,  and  retreat  of  Pope. 

29.  Second  Batt  e  of  Bull  Run,  Va. 

31.  General  McDowell  evacuates  Fredericksburg,  Va. 

SEPTEMBER. 

2.  General  McClellan  appointed  to  the  defences  of  Wash- 
ington. 

4.  Jackson  invades  Maryland.— The  Oreta  (Florida)  runs 
the  blockade  of  Mobile. 

5.  Pope  relieved  from  command. 

6.  McDowell  relieved  from  command. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF  THE   REBELLION.      131 

9.    Jackson  invades  Maryland  at  Poolesville. 
10.    Jackson  occupies  Hagerstown,  Md. — Battle  at  Gauley, 
Va. 

12.  General  Burnside  occupies  Frederick,  Md.,  in  pursuit 
of  Jackson. 

14.  Battles  at  Mumfordsville,  Tenn.,  and  South  Mountain, 
Md. 

15.  Harper's  Ferry,  Va.,  surrenders  to  Jackson. 

17.  Mumfordsville,    Tenn.,    surrenders    to    Bragg. — The 
pirate  Alabama  captures  her  first  prize,  a  whaler. — Battle  of 
Antietam,  Md. 

19.  Battle  of  Inka,  Miss. 

20.  Engagement  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac. 

22.    The  President  issues  his  Emancipation  Proclamation. 
24.    The  President  suspends  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus. 
29.    General  Nelson  killed  by  General  Jeff.  C.  Davis  at 
Louisville,  Ky. 

OCTOBER. 

1.  Sabine  Pass,  Texas,  occupied. 

2.  The  navy  takes  possession  of  St.  John's  Eiver,  Fla. 
3  and  4.    Battle  of  Corinth,  Miss. 

8.  General  Grant  occupies  Grand  Junction,  Miss. — Battle 
of  Perryville,  Ky. 

9.  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  evacuated  bv  Union  troops. 

10.  Jeb.  Stuart  invades  Maryland  at  Mercersburg   and 
Pennsylvania  at  Chambersburg. 

11.  Bragg  evacuates  Camp  Dick  Robinson,  Ky. 

15.  Engagement  at  Island  No.  10. 

16.  Bragg  makes  his  escape  from  Kentucky  pursued  by 
Buell. 

22.  Battle  at  Pocotaligo,  S.  C. 

23.  General  Schotield  occupies  Huntsville,  Ala. 
26.    Indianola,  Texas,  surrendered. 

29.  General  Pleasonton  occupies  Upperville,  Va.,  in  pur- 
suit of  Jackson. 

30.  France  proposes  intervention  to  England  and  Russia. 

NOVEMBER. 

7.    General  McClellan  relieved  of  command  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  by  General  Burnside. 

13.  England  declines  the  proposition  of  France  to  inter- 
vene. 

15.    Successful  trial  of  fifteen-inch  guns  in  monitor  turrets. 

18.  General  Sumner,  with  the  advance  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  arrives  at  Falmouth,  Va. 


132  APPENDIX. 

21.  General  Burnside  demands  the  surrender  of  Freder- 
icksburg,  Va. 

22.  Tampico,  Mexico,  occupied  by  the  French. 

DECEMBER. 

3.  General  Geary  captures  Winchester,  Va. 

4.  General  Banks'  expedition  leaves  New  York  for  New 
Orleans. 

7.    The  Alabama  captures  the  mail  steamer  Ariel,  and 
bonds  her. — Battle  of  Crawford's  Prairie,  Ark. 
13.    Battle  of  Fredericksburg,  Va. 

15.  Burnside  evacuates  Fredericksburg,  Va. 

16.  General  Grover  occupies  Baton  Rouge,  La. 
18.    Battle  of  Lexington,  Tenn. 

20.  Holly  Springs,  Miss.,  captured  by  Van  Dorn. — The 
rebels  repulsed  from  Davis'  Mills,  Miss.,  with  heavy  loss. 

21.  General  W.  T.  Sherman  commences  a  movement  upon 
Vicksburg  in  the  rear  of  Haines'  Bluff. 

28.  Stuart  makes  an  unsuccessful  foray  on  Burnside 's  army 
at  Falmouth,  Va. 

29.  Battle  of  Haines'   Bluff  (Vicksburg),  Miss.;  General 
Sherman  repulsed. — Island  No.  10  evacuated  by  order  of  Gen- 
eral Jeff.  C.  Davis. 

31.    The  Monitor  sunk  in  a  gale  off  Hatteras. 

1863. 

JAKTJAKY. 

1.  The  President  issues  his  Emancipation  Proclamation. 
— The  rebels  estimate  their  losses  thus  far  at  20,898  killed, 
59,615  wounded,  and  21,169  prisoners.    Total,  209,116.— Battles 
of  Hunt's  Cross  Roads,  Tenn.,  and  Galveston  Texas. 

2.  General  Sherman's  expedition  against  Vicksburg  with- 
drawn.— Battle  of  Stone  River,  Tenn. 

3.  The  rebels  retreat  across  Stone  River  to  Tullahoma. 

4.  Rosecrans  pursues  Bragg  through  Murfreesboro, Tenn. 

5.  General  Banks  assigned  to  the  Department  of  the 
Gulf. 

9.  The  President  divides  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland 
into  corps  under  Thomas,  McCook  and  Crittenden. — Battle  of 
Springfield,  Mo. 

10.  General  Grant  removes  his  headquarters  to  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  preparatory  to  entering  upon  the  Vicksburg  expedi- 
tion.— General  Sherman  captures  Arkansas  Post,  Ark. 

11.  A  naval  engagement  in  Galveston  Bay,  in  which  the 
pirate  Alabama  sinks  the  gunboat  Hatteras. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF  THE   REBELLION.      133 

12.  Engagement    at    Patterson ville,    La. — General    Wool 
takes  command  of  the  Department  of  the  East. 

16.  Mound  City,  Ark.,  destroyed  by  our  gunboats  in  retal- 
iation.— The  pirate  Oreta  (Florida)    runs  out  of  Mobile. — St. 
Charles,  Ark.,  captured  by  our  gunboats. — Acapulco,  Mexico, 
bombarded  by  the  French. 

17.  The   fleet  of  monitors  leave  to  rendezvous~at  Port 
Royal,  S.  C.,  preparatory  to  an  attack  on  Fort  McAllister. 

18.  Duval's  Bluff  and  Des  Arc,  Arkansas,  captured  by  Gen- 
eral Gorman. 

20.  Fitz-John  Porter  cashiered  by  sentence  of  court-mar- 
tial.— Authority  given  to  Governor  Andrew  to  raise  Negro 
troops. — The  steamers  Morning  Light  and   Velocity  seized  at 
Sabine  Pass  by  the  rebels. 

21.  General    McClernand   commences    siege    operations 
against  Vicksburg. 

23.    Mr.  Cameron  resigns'as  Minister  to  Russia. 

25.  General  Burnside  relieved  of  the  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac;  also  Generals  Sumner  and  Franklin, 
(the  cause  alleged  to  be  a'delay  in  moving  and  dissatisfaction 
of  the  officers). 

26.  General  Hooker  assigned  to  the  command  of  Army  of 
the  Potomac. 

27.  The  monitor  Montauk  bombards  Fort  McAllister,  Ga. — 
The  Senate  passes  a  bill  indemnifying  the  President  for  sus- 
pending the  writ  of  habeas  corpus." 

31.    Naval  engagement  in  Charleston  Harbor;   the  rebel 
rams  attack  our  fleet. 

FEBRUARY. 

1.  Federal  occupation  of  Franklin,  Term. 

2.  Second  bombardment  of  Fort  McAllister  by  the  Mon- 
tauk.— The  House  passes  the  bill  for  the  enlistment  of  Negro 
soldiers. 

3.  Rebels  attack  Fort  Donelson,  Tenn.,and  are  driven  off. 
—The  Queen  of  the  West  runs  past  Vicksburg. — General  Foster 
re-iuforces  Hunter  at  Port  Royal,  S.  C. 

4.  General  Grant  takes  "command  of  the  armies  in  the 
field  operations  against  Vicksburg. 

5.  The  Queen  of  the  West  destroys  the  rebel  vessels  in  Red 
River  and  returns. 

6.  Mr.  Seward  declines  the  French  offer  of  mediation. 

7.  Engagement  at  Burnt  Ordinary,  Va. 

10.    The  Queen  of  the  West  again  runs  the  rebel  batteries  at 
Vicksburg  and  cruises  on  the  12th  in  the  Atchafalaya. 

•  12.    The  House  passes  the  National  Currency  Bill  and  the 
bill  providing-  Cor  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves  in  Missouri. 

13.  The  Indianola  runs  the  Vicksburg  batteries. 


134  APPENDIX. 

14.    The  Queen  of  the  West  captured  by  the  rebels  in  Ked 
River. 

16.    The  Senate  passes  the  Conscription  Bill. 

18.  Bombardment  of  Vicksburg  commenced  by  General 
Grant  and  the  fleet. 

24.  The  Indianola  captured  by  the  rebels  below  Vicksburg; 
she  is  blown  up  through  fear  of  Porter's  mock  monitor. 

25.  The  Conscription  Bill  passes  the  House. 

27.  The  Montauk  destroys  the  Nashville  in  Ogeechee  River, 
Georgia. 

28.  The  amended  Conscription  becomes  a  law. — The  Presi- 
dent calls  an  extra  session  of  the  Senate. 

MARCH. 

1.    The  Cold  water  Pass  expedition  of  Porter's  reaches 
Moon  Lake. 

3.  Nevada  admitted  as  a  State. 

4.  The  pirate  Retribution  condemned  at  Nassau. 

5.  Battle  at  Thompson's  Station,  Tenn. 
7.     Battle  at  Spring  Hill,  Ark. 

10.  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  occupied  by  Negro  troops. 

11.  C.  M.  Clay  confirmed  as  Minister  to  Russia. 

12.  The  Coldwater  expedition  arrives  at  Fort  Pemberton, 
Mississippi. 

13.  Battle  at  Newbern,  N.  C. ;  the  rebels  attempt  to  retake 
the  town. 

14.  Admiral  Farragut  runs  past  the  Port  Hudson  batteries 
in  the  Hartford. 

15.  The  pirate  Chapman  captured  in  San  Francisco  harbor. 

19.  Admiral  Farragut  passes  the  batteries  at  Grand  Gulf, 
Miss.,  and  anchors  below  Vicksburg  on  the  21st. 

21.  Death  of  General  Sunnier. 

22.  Burnside's  corps  moves  into  Kentucky. 

23.  General  Burnside  assigned  to  the  Department  of  the 
Ohio. — The  rebel  ram  Vicksburg  captured  by  Admiral  Porter. 
— Pensacola,  Florida,  burned  and  evacuated  by  Federals. 

25.    The  ram  Lancaster  sunk  while  passing  the  Vicksburg 
battery. — Battle  at  Brentwood,  Tenn. 

27.  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  destroyed  by  Colonel  Montgomery's 
brigade  of  Negro  troops. — Colonel  Dandy  effects  a  landing 
upon  Coles'  Island,  S.  C. 

28.  The  pirate  Georgia  leaves  England. 

30.  Engagement  at  Somerset,  Ky. 

31.  Admiral  Farragut  silences  the  batteries  at  Grand  Gulf, 
Miss. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF    THE   REBELLION.      135 
APRIL. 

1.    Admiral  Farragut  destroys  transports  in  Red  River. 

4.  The  siege  of  Fort  Pemberton,   Miss.,   raised  by  the 
Coldwater  expedition. 

5.  The  iron  clad  fleet  arrives  off  Charleston  Bar. 

.  7.  Admiral  Farragut  destroys  Bayou  Saraha. — Admiral 
Dupont  attacks  Fort  Sutnter;  the  Keokuk  is  sunk  and  the  fleet 
subsequently  withdraws. 

9.    The  Alexandra  (supposed  pirate)  seized  at  Liverpool. 

14.  Pattersonville,  La.,  occupied  by  General  Banks,  after 
an  engagement. — The  rebels  raise  the  siege  of  Washington, 
N.  C. 

16.  Five  gunboats  and  three  transports  run  the  batteries  of 
Vicksburg. — The    Queen   of  the    West   recaptured   in    Grand 
Lake,  La. 

17.  Colonel  Grierson's   cavalry  starts  on  a  raid  through 
Mississippi  to  sever  railroad  communication. 

21.  General  Bapks  captures  Washington,  La. 

22.  General  Reynolds  captures  McMinnville,  Tenn. — Six 
gunboats  and  twelve  transports,  bearing  the  advance  of  Grant's 
army,  pass  the  Vicksburg  batteries. 

23.  General  Dodge  captures  Tuscumbia,  Ala. 
25.    The  pirate  Georgia  burns  the  ship  Dictator. 

27.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  prepare  for  the  Chancellors- 
ville  battle. 

28.  Colonel  Grierson  destroys  valuable  railroad  property 
at  Benton,  Miss. — Naval  engagement  at  Grand  Gulf,  Miss. 

29.  General  Dodge  destroys  Tower  Creek,  Ala. 

30.  National  fast  observed  by  order  of  President  Lincoln. 
— Porter's  squadron  passes  the  batteries  at  Grand  Gulf,  Miss., 
and  General  Grant  fights  the  battle  of  Branlinsburg,    and 
lands  his  troops. — General    Stoneman  raids  upon  Hanover 
Court-house,  Va. 

MAY. 

1.  Battle  of   Port  Gibson,    Miss. —General    Kilpatrick 
within  two  miles  of  Richmond,  Va. 

2.  Battle  of  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  commenced.     Stone- 
wall Jackson  mortally   wounded. — The  tracks  diverging  from 
Gordonsville  destroyed  by  General  Buford. — General  Stone- 
man destroys  the  railroad  at  Columbia,  Va. 

3.  Second  day  of  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  Va. — 
Battle  of  Nansemond,  Va.;  Longstreet  re-inforces  Lee. — Fred- 
edeksburg.  Va.,  captured  by  General  Sedgwick. — Iron  works 
at  Round  Mountain  destroyed  by  Colonel  Streight. 

4.  General    Sedgwick  evacuates  Fred  ericksburg,  Va. — 


136  APPENDIX. 

Admiral  Porter  captures  Fort  De  Russy,  Ark.,  after  an  engage- 
ment.— Colonel  Streight's  command  surrenders  to  Forrest. 

5.  Vallandigham  arrested  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  for  treason, 
by  order  of  General  Burnside. — The  Army  of  the  Potomac 
retreats  from  Chancellorsville,  Va. 

6.  Alexandria,    La.,  captured  by  Porter's   fleet. — The 
pirate  Florida  captures  the  Clarence,  and  converts  her  info  a 
pirate. 

7.  Van  Dorn  (rebel  general)  shot  at  Chattanooga. 

8.  The  President  gives  sixty-five  days'  warning  to  alien 
residents. — The  bombardment  of  Port  Hudson  commenced 
by  Farragut. 

10.  Stonewall  Jackson  dies. 

11.  Crystal  Spring,  Miss.,  destroyed  by  Grant's  advance. 

13.  General  Keys  occupies  West  Point,  Va. — Return  of 
several  New  York  two  years'  regiments  from  the  war. 

14.  General  Grant  occupies  Jackson,  Miss.,  after  an  engage- 
ment. 

16.  Battle  of  Champion  Hills,  Miss. 

17.  Grant  evacuates  Jackson,  Miss.,   and  has  an  engage- 
ment at  Black.River  Bridge. — Puebla,  Mexico,  surrenders  to 
the  French. 

18.  General  Grant  occupies  Haines'  Bluff,  and  completes 
the  investment  of  Vicksburg,  Miss. 

19.  Fire  opened  on  Vicksburg  from  General  Grant's  bat- 
teries. 

20.  The  navy-yard  at  Yazoo  City,   Miss.,   destroyed  by 
Porter. 

21.  Engagement  in  the  rear  of  Port  Hudson,  La. — Mexico 
(City)  evacuated  by  the  Mexicans. 

23.  Port  Hudson,  La.,  invested  by  General  Banks. 

24.  C.   L.   Vallandigham  banished  to  the  South. — Eight 
rebel  steamers  destroyed  on  the  Yazoo  River. 

20.  General  Weitzel's  command  joins  Banks  in  the  rear  of 
Port  Hudson,  La. 

27.    An  assault  on  Port  Hudson  repulsed. 

30.  Rev.  H.  W.  Beecher  leaves  for  Europe  on  a  mission. 
— Engagement  at  Catlett's  Station,  Va. 

JUXE. 

1.  James'  Island,  S.  C.,  evacuated  by  the  rebels. 

3.  Lee  prepares  for  the  invasion  of  the  North. 

5.  General  Hooker  makes  a  reconnoissance  at  Deep  Run, 
Va. 

6.  Battle  at  Milliken's  Bend, Mips.;  Negro  troops  engaged. 
11.    Mosby  makes  a  foray  on  Poolesville,  Md. 


PHILIP  H.  SHERIDAN. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OP   THE   REBELLION.      139 

12.  The  Clarence  captures  the  Tacony,  converts  her  into  a 
pirate,  and  is  burned.— General  Gillmore  relieves  Hunter  of 
the  Department  of  the  South. 

14.  General  Hooker  moves  from  Falmouth  to  Bull  Run  in 
pursuit  of  Lee. — Federal  forces  at  Winchester  and  Berryville 
defeated  and  fall  back. 

15.  The  President  calls  for  120,000  men  to  repel  invasion. 
— The  rebels  occupy   Hagerstown,  Md.,  Chambersburg  and 
Greencastle,  Pa. 

16.  Harper's  Ferry  invested  by  the  rebels. 

17.  The  rebel  rava  Atlanta  captured. 

18.  New  York  militia  leave  for  Harrisburg,  Pa. — Cham- 
bersburg evacuated  by  the  rebels. 

19.  The  rebel  ram  Chattahoochee  blown  up. — The  Alabama 
captures  the  Conrad,  and  converts  her  into  a  pirate. — Federal 
foray  on  Lenon  Station,  Tenn. 

20.  Governor  Bowman  inaugurated  Governor  of  West  Vir- 
ginia.— Frederick,  Md.,  occupied  by  Stuart. 

21.  Stuart  evacuates  Frederick,  Md.,  and  the  advance  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  enters. 

22.  The  rebels  invade  Paoli,  Ind. — Vallandigham  arrives  at 
Bermuda. 

23.  The  rebels  capture  Brashear,  La. — Rebels  advance  on 
Shippinsburg,  Pa. 

24.  General  Rosecrans  occupies  Shelbyville,  Tenn. 

25.  General  Knipe  evacuates  Carlisle,    Pa. — The   Tacony 
captures  the  Archer,  converts  her  into  a  pirate,  and  is  burned. 

26.  The  Archer,  in  an  attempted  raid  on  Portland,  Me.,  is 
captured. — Gettysburg  occupied  by  the    rebels. — The  rebels 
retreat  on  Tullahoraa,  Tenn. 

27.  The  barracks  at  Carlisle,  Pa. .burned  by  the  rebels. — 
Rosecrans  occupies  Manchester,  Tenn. 

28.  The  bridge  at  Columbia,  Pa.,  burned  to  prevent  the 
advance  of  the  enemy. — General    Hooker  relieved  of  com- 
mand by  General  George  W.  Meade. — The  War  Department 
orders  the  organization  of  a  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. — Union 
troops  evacuate  Donaldsonville. 

29.  General  Granger  occupies  Shelbyville,  Tenn. 

JULY. 

1.  Battle  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  commenced. — General  Rose- 
crans occupies  Tullahoma,  Tenn.,  and  Winchester  the  next 
day. 

3.  Negotiations  for  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg,  Miss., 
opened. 

4.  Vicksburg  surrenders  to  General  Grant. — Lee  defeated 
at  Gettysburg,  Pa.— Battle  at  Helena,  Ark.— A.  H.  Stephens 


140  APPENDIX. 

comes  down  the  James  River  on  a  mission,  but  returns  un- 
successful. 

5.  Lebanon,  Ky.,  surrenders  to   Morgan. — Sherman  de- 
feats Johnson  at  Black  River,  Miss. 

6.  General  Ransom  occupies  Natchez,  Miss. 

7.  Bragg  retreats  across  the  Tennessee  at  Bridgeport,  Ala. 
— Negotiations    for    the    surrender    of  Port   Hudson,    La., 
opened. 

8.  Generals  Grant  and  Meade  promoted. — Port  Hudson, 
La.,  surrenders  to  General  Banks,  and   the    Mississippi   is 
thereby  opened. — Morgan  occupies  Corydon,  Ind. — Lee  s  rear- 
guard defeated  at  Hagerstown,  Md. 

9.  General  Terry  lands  his  troops  on  James'  Island,  S.  C. 

10.  Morgan    captures    Salem,   Ind. — Rebels  defeated  on 
Morris  Island;  General  Gillmore  eflects  a  landing  and  com- 
mences the  siege  of  Charleston. 

11.  Morgan     captures    Madison,    Ind. — The    draft    com- 
menced in  New  York. — Battle  at  Jackson,  Tenn. 

12.  General  Meade    decides  not  to  attack   Lee  on  the 
banks  of  the  Potomac. — General  Stanley  occupies  Huntsville, 
Ala. 

13.  Lee's  army  crosses  into  Virginia. — General   Herron 
captures  Yazoo  City. — The  President  thanks  General  Grant 
for    Vicksburg. — First  day  of  the  draft  riots   in  New  York 
City. 

14.  Battle  with  Lee's  rear  guard  at  Falling  Waters,  Va. — 
Morgan  occupies  Unionville,  Ohio. 

15.  The    President  appoints  a  day  of  Thanksgiving  for 
recent  victories. 

10.  The  militia  return  to  New  York. — Johnston  evacuates 
Jackson,  Miss. — Battles  on  James'  Island,  S.  C.,  and  at  Honey 
Spring,  Indian  Territory. 

17.  Vallandigham  at  Niagara  Falls,   Canada. — Quiet    re- 
stored in  New  York. — Battles  at  Fort  Gibson,  Ark. 

18.  General  Dix  takes  command  of  the  Department  of  the 
East. — Rebels  defeated  at  Morris  Island,  S.  C.,  and  at  Rienzi, 
Miss. 

24.    Rebels  defeated  at  Wytheville,  Va. 

26.  Morgan  defeated  at  Salineville,  Ohio. — Death  of  John 
J.  Crittenden. 

27.  Rebels  defeated  at  Richmond,  Ky. 

29.  Rebels  defeated  at  Paris,  Ky. — Wm.  L.  Yancey  dies  at 
Montgomery,  Ala. — The  pirate  Alabama  repairs  at  Cape  Town, 
Cape  Good  Hope. 

AUGUST. 

1.    Jeff.  Davis  offers  an  amnesty  to  deserters. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF  THE   REBELLION.      141 

3.    The  President  orders  retaliation  for  cruel  treatment  of 
prisoners  of  war. 

9.    The  rebels  defeated  at  Sparta,  Tenn. 

14.  General  Gillrnore  mounts   the   "Swamp  Angel"  on 
Morris  Island,  S.  C. 

15.  Rebels    defeated    at    Piiieville,    Mo. — Fort    Sumter 
breached  by  siege  guns. 

17.  Rebels  defeated  at  Granada,  Miss. — The   Mississippi 
declared  open  for  trade. — Captain  George  W.  Rodgers  killed 
in  Charleston  Harbor. 

18.  An  expedition  to  Granada,  Miss.,  destroys  vast  quanti- 
ties of  railroad  materials. 

19.  The  draft  resumed  in  New  York. 

21.  The  citizens  of  Lawrence,  Kansas,  massacred  by 
Quantrell.— General  Rosecrans  arrives  in  front  of  Chattanooga. 
— The  brig  Bainbridge  founders  at  sea. — General  Gillmore 
throws  Greek  fire  into  Charleston. 

23.  General  Gillmore  announces  that  Fort  Sumter  is  a 
shapeless  mass  of  ruins,  incapable  of  further  offensive  opera- 
tions.— General  Steele  occupies  Clarendon,  Ark. 

26.  Gillmore  assaults  Fort  Wagner  on  Morris  Island  after 
siege  approaches. — Jeff.  Thompson  captured  at  Pocahontas, 
Ark. — John  B.  Floyd  dies. — General  Steele  captures  Browns- 
ville, Ark. 

27.  Rebels  defeated  at  Hanover,  Tenn.,  and  Bayou  Meteor, 
Ark. 

28.  The  draft  completed  in  New  York  city. 

29.  Five  bounty-jumpers  shot  in  the  Army  of  the   Po- 
tomac.— A  rebel  ram  launched  at  Laird's  Yard,  Liverpool. 

31.  The  draft  commenced  in  Brooklyn. — General  Burn- 
side  seizes  Emory's  Gap,  Tenn. — The  pirate  Sumter  sunk  in 
Charleston  Harbor. 

SEPTEMBER. 

1.  Fort  Smith,  Ark.,  evacuated  by  the  rebels. — Knoxville, 
Tenn.,  occupied  by  General  Burnside's  advance. 

2.  Burnside's  main  column  occupies  Knoxville,  and  is 
welcomed  by  the  inhabitants. 

3.  The   pirate    Florida    enters    Brest,    France.— Rebels 
defeated  at  Diamond  Gap,  Tenn. — Federals  repulsed  from 
Fort  Gregg,  S.  C. — Bread  riot  at  Mobile,  Ala. 

5.  Forts  Gregg  and  Wagner,  S.  C.,  assaulted. 

6.  Forts  Wagner  and  Gregg  evacuated  by  the  rebels  and 
occupied  by  General  Gillmore. — Our  forces  defeated  at  Moore- 
field,  Va. 

7.  General  Rosecrans  occupies  Trenton,  Ga. 

8.  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  evacuated  by  the  rebels. — Naval 
engagement  in  Charleston  Harbor;  a  naval  attack  on  Fort 


142  APPENDIX. 

Sumter  repulsed. — Union   forces    defeated   at  Sabine  Pass, 
Texas. 

9.  Chattanooga  occupied  by  General  Crittenden. — Cum- 
berland Gap  surrenders  to  General  Burnside. — Union  forces 
defeated  at  Tipton,  Tenn. 

10.  General  Steele  occupies  Little  Rock,  Ark. — Longstreet 
re-inforces  Bragg. 

11.  Battle  at  Dalton,  Ga. — The  pirate  Florida  detained  at 
Brest,  France. 

12.  Culpepper,  Va.,  occupied  by  General  Meade's  ad- 
vance. 

13.  Engagements  near  Culpepper,  Va.,  and  at  Bird's  Gap, 
Ga. 

15.    The  President  suspends  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus. 

18.  General  Burnside's  advance  at  Bristol,  Tenn.,  when 
an  engagement  takes  place. 

19.  Rebels  defeated  at  Fort  Smith,  Ark. 
19  and  20.     Battle  of  Chickamauga. 

22.     Battle  near  Carter's  Station,  Tenn. 

24.    The  President  raises  the  blockade  at  Alexandria,  Va. 

27.  Jonesboro,  Tenn.,  re-occupied  by  rebels. 

28.  General   Hooker  leaves  Virginia  to  re-5nforce  Rose- 
crans. 

29.  Greenbacks  declared  a  legal  tender  by  the  Court  of 
Appeals  of  New  York. — Visit  of  English,  Russian  and  French 
fleets  to  New  York. 

30.  Aggregate  value  of  naval  captures  to  date,  $30,000,000. 

OCTOBER. 

1.  The  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Corps,  General  Hooker, 
arrive  at  Bridgton,  Ala. — Rebels  defeated  at  Anderson's  Cross 
Roads,  Tenn.,  and  at  Franklin,  La. 

2.  General  Franklin  occupies  Franklin,  La. 

3.  The  President  appoints  a  day  of  National  Thanksgiv- 
ing.— Guerrillas  repulsed  from  McMinnville,  Tenn. 

5.  The  rebel s  attempt  to  blow  up  the  New  Ironsides. 

6.  Quantrell  massacres  General  Blunt's  body  guard  at 
Baxter  Springs,  Mo.,  after  defeating  his  troops. 

8.  Quantrell  burns  Carthage,  Mo. — Rebels  defeated  at 
Lannington,  Miss. 

10.  Lee  commences  a  flank  movement  on  Meade,  but  the 
rebels  are  defeated  at  Robertson's  Ford,  Va. — Fight  at  Blue 
Springs,  Tenn. 

11.  General  Meade  falls  back  to  meet  Lee. — The   rebel 
forces  driven  out  of  East  Tennessee. 

12.  General  Meade  rests  his  army  on  Manassas  Plains, 
having  foiled  Lee's'plans. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OP  THE   REBELLION.      143 

14.  Battle  of  Bristow  Station,  Va. 

15.  Lee  ceases  his  pursuit  of  Meade,  and  commences  a 
retrograde  movement. 

16.  The  rebels  defeated  at  Blackburn's  Ford,  Va.— Gen- 
eral McPherson  raids  upon  Canton,  Miss. 

17.  Engagement    at    Charlestgwn,    Va. — Imboden    over- 
powers the  garrison.— The  President  calls  for  300,000  more 
men. 

18.  Gefieral  Meade  starts  in  pursuit  of  Lee. 

19.  Rosecrans  superseded   by   General  Thomas,  and  the 
new   Military   Department  of  the  Mississippi  created    and 
placed  under  General  Grant,  who  is  given  plenary  powers. 

21.  General  Meade  ceases  the  pursuit  of  Lee. — General 
Franklin  occupies  Opelousas,  La. — Battle  at  Cherokee  Station, 
Ala. 

22.  Battle  at  Columbia,  Ky. 

23.  General  Grant  arrives  at  Chattanooga. 

24.  Battle  at  Danville,  Ky. — Jeff.  Davis  visits  Mobile. 

25.  Battle  at  Pine  Bluff,  Ark. 

26.  General  Gillmore  renews  the  bombardment  of  Surn- 
ter. 

27.  General  W.  F.  Smith  executes  a  flank  movement  at 
Lookout  Mountain,  Ga. 

28.  General  Hooker's  "  Battle  in  the  Clouds"  at  Lookout 
Mountain. — Engagement  at  Wauhatchie,  Ala. — General  Blair 
occupies  Tuscumbia,  Ala. — 181   Federal   prisoners  arrive   at 
Fortress  Monroe  from  Libby  prison,  in  a  starving  condition. 

29.  The  exchange  of  prisoners  stopped. — General  Butler 
takes  command  of  the  Department  of  Virginia  at  Fortress 
Monroe. 

31.    A  furious  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter. 

.  NOVEMBER. 

1.  General  Dana  occupies  Brazos  de  Santiago,  Texas. 

3.  Fort  Brown,  Texas,  evacuated  by  the  rebels. 

4.  The  gunboat  Kearsarge  arrives  in  Cork,  Ireland. 

5.  Battle  at  Carrion  Crow  Bayou,  La. 

7.  Engagement  at  Kelley's  Ford,  Va. 

8.  Lee's  army  moves  across  the  Rapidan. 

10.  Engagement  at  Droop  Mountain,  Va. 

11.  Lord  Lyons  notifies  Mr.  Seward  of  the  plot  in  Canada 
to  release  rebel  prisoners  at  Sandusky. 

13.  The  resignation  of  General  Burnside  accepted. 

14.  Longstreet  crosses  the  river  for  an  advance  in  East 
Tennessee. 

15.  Battle  at  Raccoon  Ford,  Va. — The  iron-clad  Camanche 
sunk  in  San  Francisco  harbor. 


144  APPENDIX. 

16.  Burnside  falls  back  on  Lenoir  Station  from  Longstreet's 
advance. 

17.  Burnside  falls  back  on  Knoxville  when  he  is  attacked 
by  Longstreet. — General  Banks  captures  Aransas  Pass,  Texas. 

18.  Three  hundred  starved  Union  prisoners  arrive  at  Fort- 
ress Monroe. 

19.  Thanksgiving  Day  in  Dixie. 

20.  Lougstreet  again  attacks  Burnside  at  Knoxville,  Tenn. 
23  and  25.    Battle  of  Chattanooga. 

26.  Meade  advances  against  Lee. 

27.  Battle  of  Raccoon  Ford,  Va. 

28.  Lee  falls  back  to  Mine  Run,  Va.— John  Morgan  escapes 
from  the  Columbus  (Ohio)  penitentiary. 

2^.    Engagement  at  Fort  Saunders,  near  Knoxville. 

30.  General  Gillmore  commenced  to  shell  Charleston,  S.  C., 
from  Morris  Island,  over  five  miles. — The  rebels  evacuate  and 
blow  up  Fort  Esperanza,  Texas. 

DECEMBER. 

1.  Generals  Hooker  and  Palmer  evacuate  Ringgold,Ga. — 
The  Army  of  the  Potomac  crosses  to  the  North  side  ol  the 
Rapidan. 

2.  Bragg  relieved  by  Hardee. 

3.  Rebels  repulsed  from  Raccoon  Ford,   Va. — General 
Sherman  arrives  at  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  to  re-inforce  Burnside. 
— The  enemy  burns  Lafayette,  Tenn. 

4.  Longstreet  raises  the  siege  of  Knoxville,  Tenn. 

6.  Longstreet's  rear  guard  attacked  at  Clinch  Mountain, 
Tenn. — The   steamer    Chesapeake  captured   by   piratical  pas- 
sengers.— The  monitor  Weehaivken  sunk  in  a  gale. 

7.  General  Foster  announces  Longstreet  in  full  retreat 
from  Tennessee,  whereupon  the  President  orders  a  Thanks- 
giving.— General  Grant's  captures  during  the  war-announced 
as  472  cannon  and  90,000  prisoners. — Congress  organizes;  Mr. 
Colfax  chosen  Speaker  of  the  House. 

8.  Congress  passes  joint  resolutions  of  thanks  to  General 
Grant. 

9.  The  President  thanks  General  Grant  for  the  victory  in. 
East  Tennessee. — General  Averill  leaves  Harper's  Ferry  on  a 
foray. — Jeff.  Davis  denounced  by  Henry  S.  Fqote,  in  the  Rebel 
Congress. — Rebels  driven  from  Bean's  Station,  Tenn. — The 
President  issues  a  Proclamation  of  Amnesty. 

10.  Engagement  at  Morristown,  Tenn.;  Longstreet's  army 
at  Rogersville. 

11.  The  pirate  Cliesaptake  leaves  Shelburne,  N.  S. 

12.  Rebels  refuse  to  receive  any  supplies  for  Union  pris- 
oners. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  HISTORY   OF  THE  REBELLION.      145 

13.  Rebels  repulsed  at  Catlett's  Station,  Va. 

14.  Engagement  at  Bear  Station,  Tenn. — General  Wistar 
makes  a  foray  on  Charles  City  C.  H.,  Va. 

16.  The  Virginia  and  Tennessee   Road  cut  at  Salem,  by 
General  Averill. 

17.  The  pirate  Chesapeake  captured  at  Sambro,  N.  S.,  by 
the   Ella  <fc  Aniia. — Rebel  foray  on  Sangster's  Station,  Va. 

19.  The  pirates  of  the  CJiesapcake  rescued  by  a  mob  in 
Halifax. 

21.  General  Averill  returns  from  his  foray. 

23.    Passports  required  of  persons  leaving  New  York. 

26.  The  Dictator  launched. 

27.  General  Joe  Johnston  takes  command  of  Bragg's  army . 

1804. 

JANUARY. 

1.  Proposals  issued  for  a  loan  of  $35,000,000  to  the 
United  States. 

3.  Discovery  of  $6,000,000  in  Confederate  bonds  printed 
in  New  York  for  the  Confederate  Government. — Maximilian's 
acceptance  of  the  Mexican  throne  announced. — Surrender  of 
300  Union  troops  to  the  rebels  at  Jonesville,  Va. 

9.  The  steamer  Chesapeake  (seized  by  rebels  and  run 
into  Halifax,  N.  C.),  ordered  by  the  Admiralty  Court  to  bei 
returned  to  her  owners  in  New  "York. 

11.  Proclamation  of  Major  General  Banks  for  holding  an 
election  in  Louisiana  for  State  officers. 

12.  Gunboats  and  transports  of  Sherman's  and  Porter's 
expedition  up  the  Yazoo  River  attacked  by  3,000  rebels. 

20.  General  Seymour,  at  Olustee,  Florida,  defeated  by  the 
rebels. — Fight  between  General  Sturgis  and  the  rebels  under 
Hood  and  Johnston  at  Danville,  Tenn. 

22.  Fight  between  United  States  troops  and  the  rebels  in 
Arkansas. 

23.  Restrictions    on    trade    in  Missouri    and    Kentucky 
removed  by  order  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 

29.    Capture  of  Scottsville,  Ky.,  by  the  rebels. 

31.  A  wagon  train  captured  by  the  rebels  near  Williams- 
port,  Md. — Union  troops  at  Bachelor's  Creek,  N.  C.,  defeated 
by  rebels. 

FEBKUARY. 

1.  President  Lincoln  issues  a  proclamation  for  500,000 
men  for  three  years. 

2.  Raid  by  the  rebels  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad ; 
estimated  damage  to  property  .$1,000,000. — Rebel  attack  on 


146  APPENDIX. 

Newbern,  N.  C.,  repulsed;  the  gunboat  Undenvriter  captured 
and  destroyed  by  the  rebels. — Roddy's  rebel  cavalry  driven 
out  of  Tennessee. 

3.  Fight  on  the  upper  Potomac  between  the  rebels  under 
Colonel  Rosser  and  the  Union  troops  under  General  Averill; 
defeat  of  the  former. 

4.  Union  forces  capture  Jackson  City  and  Yazoo  City, 
Miss. 

6.  President    Lincoln  issues    a   proclamation   removing 
restrictions  on  trade  in  the  States  of  Kentucky  and  Missouri. 

7.  An  expedition,  under  General  Gillmore,  ascends  St. 
John's  River,  Fla.,  enters  Jacksonville,  and  captures  100  pris- 
oners, 8  pieces  of  artillery,  and  other  property. 

8.  Fight  with  the  rebels  at  Germania  Ford,  Va.,  without 
definite  results. — Advance  of  Union  troops  from  Jacksonville, 
Fla.,  into  the  interior,  and  capture  of  property  valued  at 
$1,500,000. 

9.  Severe  cavalry  fight  with  rebels  at  Strawberry  Plains, 
Tenn. 

10.    General  decline  in  the  prices  of  stocks  at  New  York. 
15.    Advance  in  the  price  of  stocks. — The  pirate  Georgia 
escapes  from  the  port  of  Cherbourg. 

18.  Generals  Smith,  Sherman  and  others  make  a  success- 
ful raid  into  Alabama;  they  destroy  over  1,000,000  bushels  of 
corn,   and  capture  1,500  mule  and'horses,  and  over  300  pris- 
oners. 

19.  The  Enrollment  Bill  passed  the  Senate  by  a  vote  of  26 
to  16,  and  the  House  (on  the  12th),  by  93  to  60. 

22.  Unconditional  Union  State  Convention  of  Maryland 
held  at  Baltimore,  and  resolutions  pass  in  favor  of  instructinr 
the  delegates  to  the  National  Union  Convention  to  vote  fog 
Abraham  Lincoln  first,  last  and  all  time. 

23.  Bombardment  of  Fort  Powell,  Mobile  Harbor,  by  Ad- 
miral Farragut. 

25.  Tunnel  Hill,  Tenn.,  captured  by  Union  troops  under 
General  Grant. — Athens,  Ala.,  captured  by  the  rebels  under 
General  Roddy. 

26.  The  rebels  beaten  at  Athens  and  Florence,  Ala.,  by 
Union   troops. — The   rank  of  Lieutenant   General  conferred 
upon  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  of  the  United  States  Army. 

28.    Successful  reconnoissance  by  General  Custer   toward 
Gordonville,  Va.;  capture  of  rebel  camp. 

MARCH. 

1.  Annihilation  of  a  colored  regiment   by  guerrillas  at 
Tecumseh  Landing,  near  Grand  Lake,  Miss. 

2.  Successful  raid  by  General  Kilpatrick  near  Richmond. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF  THE   REBELLION.       147 

5.    The  rebels  attack  Yazoo  City,  Miss.,  and  are  defeated. 

8%  General  Sherman  returns  to  Vicksburg  from  a  success- 
ful raiding  expedition  into  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  having 
destroyed  over  §2,000,000  worth  of  property,  and  captured 
8.000  Negroes  and  4,OpO  prisoners. — State  election  in  New 
York  decided  that  soldiers  may  vote. 

9.  Gold  market  excited;  price  advanced;  stock  market 
rampant. — Major  General  Grant  receives  his  commission  as 
Lieutenant  General  from  President  Lincoln. — Council  of  war 
between  the  President,  the  Cabinet  and  General  Grant. 

10.  Expedition  under  General  A.  J.  Smith  left  Vicksburg 
for  the  Red  River. — Constitutional  Convention  of  West  Vir- 
ginia adopts  a  resolution  to  abolish  slavery. 

14.  Fort  De  Russy,  on  Red  River,  Louisiana,  captured  by 
Union  troops  under  General  A.  J.  Smith;   11  guns  and  300 
prisoners  taken. — Major  General  Halleck  retired  from  the 
position  of  Commander-in-Chief. 

15.  The  rebels  make  a  daring  attempt  to  recapture  Sea- 
brook,  near  Hilton  Head,  S.  C..  used  as  a  depot  for  coal  for 
United  States  vessels.— Call  by  President  Lincoln  for  200,000 
men  for  the  army,  navy  and  marine. 

J7.  Advance  in  gold  notwithstanding  the  passage  of  the 
Gold  Bill. — Lieutenant  General  Grant  assumes  command  of  all 
the  armies  of  the  United  States. — Fort  De  Russy  blown  up 
accidentally;  four  men  killed  and  six  wounded. 

18.  The  rebels  appear  on  a  new  raiding  expedition  toward 
Washington. 

20.  Reconnoissance  by  Union  troops  under  General  Mower 
up  the  Red  River,  La.;  200  rebels  and  four  cannon  captured. 

21.  Act  of  Congress  to  admit  Nevada  and  Colorado  as 
States  passed. 

23.  The  rebels  under  General  Forrest  commence  an  inva- 
sion of  Kentucky. — President  Lincoln  issues  an  order  for  the 
re-organization  of  the  army. 

24.  Union  City,  Term.,  attacked  by  rebels  under  General 
Forrest;  Colonel  Hawkins,  in  charge,  surrenders  to  the  rebels. 
—  Capture  of  Alexandria,  La.,  by  Union  troops. 

25.  The  rebels  under  General  Forrest  enter  Paducah,  Ky.; 
the  rebels  were  repulsed  and  driven  from  the  city. — Severe 
gale;  several  vessels  driven  ashore  along  the  coast. 

26.  President  Lincoln  issues  a  new  amnesty  proclamation. 

27.  Gold  advances  from  164  to   169. — Union  troops  under 
General  Mower  capture  17  cannon  from  the  rebels  near  Alex- 
andria, La. 

28.  Gold  declines  from  169  to  166J.— Election  in  Louisiana 
for  delegates  to  a  State  Convention  to  revise  and  amend  the 
Constitution  of  the  State.— General  Forrest  (rebel)  with  7,000 


148  APPENDIX. 

men  advances  to  the  vicinity  of  Columbus,  Ky.,  and  creates 
great  alarm  there. 

30.  An  expedition  of  Union  troops  under  Colonel  Clayton 
to  Mount  Elba  and  Longview,  Ark.,  captured  320  prisoners, 
300  horses,  about  40  wagons  laden  with  camp  and  garrison 
equipments,  beside  300  contrabands,  and  killing  and  wound- 
ing about  200  rebels. — United  States  steamer  Maple  Leaf  blown 
up  in  St  John's  River,  Florida,  by  a  rebel  torpedo;  four  of  the 
crew  killed. 

APRIL. 

1.  A  band  of  rebels  attack  the  United  States  Government 
plantations  on  the  Yazoo  River,  and  set  fire  to  the  buildings ; 
several  Negroes  perish  in  the  flames. 

3.    Union  troops  defeated  by  the  rebels  at  Shreveport,  La. 

8.  Defeat  of  Union  troops  under  General  Stoneman  at 
Pleasant  Hill,  La. ;  loss  2,000  in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners. 

9.  Fight  between  rebels  and  Union  gunboats  at  New  Falls 
City,  near  Shreveport,  La.;  defeat  of  the  rebels;  from  500  to 
600  of  them  killed  or  wounded. — Fight  with  rebels  at  Grand 
Ecore,   La.;    capture  of   2,000    rebels    and    20    cannon    by 
Union  troops. — The  rebels  attempt  to  blow  up    the  United 
States  frigate  Minnesota,  lying  in  Hampton  Roads,  with  a  tor- 
pedo, but  fail. 

12.  Capture  of  Fort  Pillow  by  the  rebels  under  General 
Forrest;  all  found  in  the  garrison,  except  about  200,  massacred 
after  they  had  surrendered — men,  women  and  children. — 
Steamer  Golden  Gate,  laden  with  United  States  Government 
stores,  captured  by  rebels  near  Memphis. — Maximilian  in-* 
vested  with  his  new  honors  as  Emperor  of  Mexico  at  his 
Castle  of  Meramar. 

13.  The  surrender  of  Fort  Halleck,  Columbus,  Ky.,  de- 
manded by  the  rebels  under  General  A.  Buford. 

14.  About  100  rebels,  200  horses,  400  saddles  and  300  small 
arms  captured  by  Union  troops  at  Half  Mountain,  Ky. 

15.  Explosion  of  a  boiler  on  board  of  the  United  States  gun- 
boat Chenango,  in  New  York  harbor;  many  seamen  killed  or 
sustain  appalling  injuries. 

16.  The  issue  of  gold  certificates  by    the  sub-treasury, 
New  York,  suspended. 

17.  The  rebels  attempt  to  capture  Plymouth,  N.  C.,  but 
are  repulsed  with  great  slaughter. — A  portion  of  Hockman, 
Ky.,  burned  by  the  rebels. 

18.  A  rebel  ram  at  Plymouth,  N.  C.,  attacks  and  sinks  the 
gunboats  Bombshell  and  Southfield. — Great  panic  in  Wall  street, 
New  York;  many  heavy  failures  among  the  leading  bull  opera- 
tors; a  great  panic  also 'in  the  stock  market — one  of  the  sever- 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF   THE   REBELLION.      149 

est  ever  witnessed;  decline  in  prices. — Act  of  Congress  to 
admit  Nebraska  as  a  State. 

20.  Surrender  of  General  Wessels  and  2,500  Union  troops 
at  Plymouth,  N.  C.,  after  four  hours'  fighting. 

22.  Fight  between  Union  troops  under  General  Banks 
and  the  rebels  at  Cane  Eiver,  near  Alexandria,  La.;  1,000 
rebels  and  nine  cannon  captured. 

25.  One  hundred  thousand  troops  for  one  hundred  days 
tendered  by  the  Governors  of  Indiana,  Ohio,  Michigan  and 
Illinois,  and  accepted  by  President  Lincoln — Advance  in  gold 
to  183. — A  train  of  250  wagons  with  a  cavalry  escort  and  four 
cannon  captured  by  rebels  near  Pine  Bluff,  Ark. 

27.    Decline  in  stocks;  gold  falls  from  181  to  178. 

29.  Madison  Court-house,  Va.,  burned  by  Union  troops, 
on  account  of  rebels  firing  upon  them  from  the  windows  in 
the  place. 

MAY. 

1.  Gunboat  'Eastport  and  two  transports  blown  up  by 
Union  forces  near  Alexandria,  La.,  to  prevent  her  falling  into 
possession  of  rebels. 

o.  Admiral  Wilkes  suspended  from  duty  for  three  years 
and  publicly  reprimanded. — General  Grant  commences  move- 
ments against  Richmond. — Fight  between  Union  cavalry  under 
Generaf  Sturgis  and  a  brigade  of  rebels  under  General  For- 
rest; defeat  and  retreat  of  the  latter. 

4.  Union  troops  under  General  Butler  advance  up  the 
Peninsula  toward  Richmond,  and  occupy  Yorktown,    West 
Point,  etc. — The  army  of  the  Potomac,  under  General  Grant, 
cross  the  Rapidan  without  opposition. 

5.  General  Butler  transfers  his  army  from  Yorktown  and 
West  Point  to  City   Point    and  Bermuda  Hundred. — Two 
United  States  gunboats  and  three  transports  destroyed  by  the 
rebels  near  Alexandria,  La. 

6.  Battle  at  Mine  Run  between  the  rebels  under  General 
Lee  and  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  under  General  Grant;  the 
rebels  defeated  and  driven  back;  Brigadier  General  James 
S.  Wadsworth  and  Brigadier  Alex.  Hays  among  the  killed. 

7.  General  Thomas  occupied  Tunnel  Hill,  Ga. 

8.  Dalton,  Ga.,  occupied  by  Union  troops  under  General 
Thomas. — Severe  battle  between  the  Union  army  under  Gen- 
eral Grant  and  the  rebels  under  General  Lee  near  Spott- 
sylvaniaCourtrhouse;  Major  General  John  Sedgwick  killed. 

9.  The  gunboats  of  General  Banks  and  Admiral  Porter's 
expedition  tip  Red  River  succeed  in  getting  down  over  the 
Falls  near  Alexandria,  through  the  engineering  skill  of  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  Bailey. — Fight  betwen    Union  troops  under 
General  Butler  and  the  rebels  under  General  Hill  near  Peters- 


150  APPENDIX. 

burg,  Va. ;  the  latter  handsomely  whipped. — Another  terrible 
battle  near  Spottsylvania  Court-house  between  the  Union  and 
rebel  armies. 

10.  General  Sheridan  completes  a  successful  raid  in  the 
rear  of  Lee's  rebel  army  in  Virginia,  recapturing  500  Union 
soldiers  and  destroying  eight  miles  of  railroad,  two  locomo- 
tives and  three  trains. — Fight  between  General  Butler's  troops 
and  those  of  General  Beauregard,  without  definite  results. 

11.  The  rebel  army  in  Georgia  driven  by  General  Sher- 
man to  Buzzard's  Eoost  Mountain. 

12.  Major  General  Hancock  captures  7,000  rebels  and  thirty 
guns  in  a  battle  near  Spottsylvania,  Va. — Union  troops  evacu- 
ate Little  Washington,  N.  C.,  when  rebels  enter  and  burn  all 
the  houses  in  the  place  except  about  twenty;  women  robbed 
and  turned  adrift  without  food  or  shelter. — The  outer  line  of 
works  of  Fort  Darling  carried  by  Union  troops  under  Gen- 
erals Gillmore  and  Smith. — General  Sheridan  captures  the 
outer  line  of  fortifications  in  front  of  Richmond. — Dalton,  Ga., 
evacuated  by  the  rebels  under  General  Joe  Johnston  and  occu- 
pied by  Union  troops  under  General  Sherman. 

14.  Bombardment  of  Charleston  and  Fort  Sumter,  S.  C., 
renewed  with  vigor. 

15.  Resaca,  Ga.,  captured  by  General  Sherman's  army, 
with  1,200  prisoners,  ten  guns  and  six  trains  going  South  for 
supplies;  Union  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  2,700. — General 
Sigel  defeated  at  Rood's  Hill  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley. 

16.  President  Lincoln  calls  upon  Governor  Parker,  of  New 
Jersey,  for  all  the  militia  he  can  raise  for  one  hundred  days' 
service. — Defeat  of  the  rebels  under  Johnston  at  Resaca,  by 
General  Sherman. 

18.  A  bogus  proclamation  of  President  Lincoln  published 
in  the  World  and  Journal  of  Commerce;  the  publication  of  the 
World  and  Journal  of  Commerce  stopped  by  the  Government. — 
Battle  between  Union  troops  under  General  A.  J.  Smith  and 
a  rebel  division  in  Louisiana;  300  rebels  captured. 

20.  Defeat  of  Union  troops  under  General  Sigel  by  rebels 
under  General  Breckinridge  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley. 

21.  The  rebels  make  a  furious  assault  on  General  Butler's 
lines,  near  Fort  Darling,  and  are  repulsed. 

23.  The  Union  army,  under  General  Grant,  makes  a  grand 
flank  movement  against  the  rebels  under  General  Lee,  result- 
ing in  a  sharp  fight  and  repulse  of  the  rebels. — Joseph  How- 
ard, Jr.,  and  Francis  A.  Mallison  arrested  and  sent  to  Fort 
Lafayette,  charged  with  forging  the  bogus  proclamation  of 
President  Lincoln. — General  Lee's  rebel  army  falls  back  to  the 
South  Anna  River;  over  600  rebel  soldiers  captured  by  Union 
troops. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF  THE  REBELLION.      151 

24.  Advance  in  gold  to  185. 

25.  The  rebels,  under  General  Fitz  Hugh  Lee,  attack  the 
Union  forces  at  Wilson's  Wharf,  on  the  Jaines  River,  and  are 
repulsed. 

26.  General  Grant    makes  another  flank  movement  on 
Lee's  rebel  army,  crossing  the  Pamunkey  River  at  Hanover- 
town  Ferry,  and   reaching  a  point  within  fourteen  miles  of 
Richmond. — Surgeon-General  Hammond,  U.  S.  A.,  convicted 
by  court-martial. — Act  of  Congress  creating  the  Territory  of 
Montana. 

28.  Rapid  advance  in  the  price  of  gold  to  188. 

29.  Fight  between  the  rebels  and  General  McPherson's 
corps  of  Sherman's  army,  at  Dallas,  Ga. ;   the  rebels  driven 
back  with  a  loss  of  5,500  in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners. 

31.    Gold  advances  to  194. 

JUNE. 

1.  National  Convention  of  Radical  Republicans  at  Cleve- 
land, nominated  John  C.  Fremont  for  President,  and  John 
Cochrane    for  Vice-President. — A  rebel    iron-clad   descends 
James  River  from  Richmond  and  attacks  some  Union  moni- 
tors, but  is  repulsed  after  two  hours'  fighting. — Fight  between 
Union  and  rebel  troops  near  Mechanicsville,  Va.;  about  4,000 
rebels  captured. 

2.  John  C.  Fremont  resigns  his  position  as  Major-General 
in  the  United  States  Army. — A  portion  of  General  Sherman's 
army  advances  to  occupy  Allatoona  Pass,  Ga. — United  States 
steamer  Water  Witch,  5  guns,  captured  by  rebels  in  Ossabaw 
Sound,  Ga. — Successful  advance  of  General  Grant's  army  to 
Cold  Harbor.  Va. — General  Fitz  Hugh  Lee  and  500  rebel  cav- 
alry- captured  by  General  Butler's  troops  near  White  House, 
Virginia. 

3.  General  Grant  attempts  to  drive  the  rebels  across  the 
Chickahominy  River,  and    is    repulsed;   Union    loss,  3,000; 
Union  loss  in  three  days,  7,500. — National  Bank  Act  passed. 

4.  The  rebels,  under  General   Lee,  attack  I'nion  lines 
near  Bottom's  Bridge,  on  the  Chickahominy,  but  are  repulsed. 

5.  General  John  C.  Fremont  and  General  John  Cochrane 
accept  their  nominations  for  President  and  Vice-President. 

6.  General  Hunter  defeats  the  rebels  at  Staunton,  Va.; 
captures  1,500  prisoners,  3,000  stand  of  arms  and  )!  cannon, 
besides  a  large  amount  of  stores,  etc.;  the  rebel  General  W. 
E.  Jones,  killed. — The  rebels  attack  the  Union  troops  under 
General  Burnside,  and  are  repulsed. 

7.  National  Union  Convention  assembles  at  Baltimore. — 
Gold  advances  to  194. 


152  APPENDIX. 

8.  Gold  advances  to  195£. — John  Morgan's  rebel  forces 
enter  Eastern.  Kentucky  and  capture  the  town  of  Mount  Ster- 
ling.— The  Baltimore  Convention  nominates  Abraham  Lincoln 
for  President,  and  Andrew  Johnson,  of  Tennessee,  for  Vice- 
President. 

9.  John  Morgan  and  his  rebel  band  defeated  at  Mount 
Sterling,  Ky. ;  he  subsequently  attacks  Lexington,  Ky.,  and 
burns  the  railroad  depot  there. — Advance  in  price  of  gold 
from  195  to  198. 

10.  General  Kautz,  with  his  Union  cavalry  troops,  charges 
the  rebel  works  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va.,*  and  enters  the 
place,  but  not  being  supported  by  General  Gillmore,  is  com- 
pelled to  retire. 

11.  Fight  between  Union  cavalry  under  General  Sheridan, 
and  the  rebels  under  General  J.  E.  B.  Stewart;  defeat  of  the 
rebel  troops  and  death  of  General  Stewart. — General  Hunter 
burns  the  Virginia  Military  Institute,   Governor   Letcher's 
house,  and  captures  6  cannon,  600  horses  and  a  large  amount 
of  stores. 

12.  Maximilian  makes  a  triumphant  entry  into  the  city  of 
Mexico. — John  Morgan,  rebel  general,  captures  Cynthiana, 
Ky.,  and  two  Ohio  regiments;  General  Burbridge,  with  Union 
troops,  subsequently  arrives,  defeats  the  rebels,  captures  400 
prisoners  and  1,000  horses. 

13.  Expedition  of  8,000  Union  troops  under  General  Stur- 
gis  defeated  by  10,000  rebels  under  Generals  Forrest,  Lee  and 
Roddy;  wagon  and  ammunition  trains  lost. — Lexington,  Va., 
captured  by  Union  troops  under  Generals  Crook  and  Averill. 

14.  Bids  for  the  $75,000,000  loan  opened  at  the  Treasury 
Department;  over  §90,000,000  offered.— Army  of  the  Potomac, 
under  General  Grant,  makes  another  flank  movement,  crosses 
the  Chickahominy  River,  also  the  James  River  to  the  south 
side  of  Richmond. 

15.  General  (Baldy)  Smith  attacks  the  rebel  defences  in 
front  of  Petersburg  and  captures  13  cannon  and  about  350 
prisoners. — Bill  passed  by  the  House  of  Representatives  in 
favor  of  prohibiting  slavery  by  a  Constitutional  amendment 
defeated  by  the  United  States  Senate. 

16.  Vallandigham  returns  to  Ohio  from  his  exile  without 
permission  of  President  Lincoln,  claiming  his  right  to  do  so. 

17.  Desperate,  but  ineffectual  attempt  to  capture  Peters- 
burg, Va.,  by  Union  troops;  loss  8,000  men. 

18.  Repulse  of  Union  troops  under  General  Hunter  while 
attempting  to  capture  Lynchburg. — Surrender  of  Union  troops 
at  Bardstowu,  Ky.,  to  a  few  rebels  without  pulling  a  trigger. — 
General  Sherman  enters  Marietta,  Ga.,  the  rebels  having  evac- 
uated the  place. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF  THE   REBELLION.      153 

19.  Fight  off  Cherbourg  between  the  rebel  cruiser  Ala- 
bama, under  Captain  Semmes,  and  the  United  States  steamer 
Kearsarqe,  under  Captain  Winslow;  the  former  sunk  after  an 
hour's  fight. — The  rebels  commence  an  invasion  of  Maryland 
and  Pennsylvania. 

21.  Advance  in  gold  from  198  to  208.— Fight  with  the  reb- 
els in  Georgia;  an  important  position  gained  by  General  Sher- 
man;   rebel   loss  700  men. — Fight  with  and   repulse   of  the 
rebels  at  White  House,  Va. — Rebel  cavalry  attack  the  Union 
lines  at  Pine  Bluff,  Ark.,  and  are  repulsed. — Inter-Continental 
Telegraph  Bill  passed  by  Congress. 

22.  Desperate  fight  between  rebel  and  Union  troops  on 
the  line  of  the  Petersburg  &  Weldon  railroad;  the  Union 
troops  driven  from  their  position,  but  afterward  regain  it;  a 
Union  brigade  gobbled  up. — A  gold  panic  in  Wall  street,  New 
York;  rises  from  208  to  226,  and  then  falls  to  210,  with  a  cor- 
responding effect  in  price  of  flour,  pork,  etc. — Isaac  Hender- 
son, Navy  Agent,  New  York,  arrested  on  charges  of  having 
defrauded  the  government. — The  rebels  under  General  Mag- 
ruder,  near  White  River,  whipped  by  Union  troops. 

23.  Bill  to  repeal  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  passed  by  Con- 
gress.— Gold  advances  from  210  to  215. 

24.  The  rebels  capture  the  tinclad  gunboat  Queen  City,  and 
blockade  the  river  between  Memphis  and  Little  Rock. — The 
Constitutional  Convention  of  Maryland  adopt,  by  a  vote  of  53 
to  27,  a  bill  in  favor  of  prohibiting  slavery  in  the  State,  except 
as  a  punishment  for  crime. 

26.  General  Hunter  completes  a  successful  raid  into  Dixie, 
capturing  and  destroying  over  $5,000,000  worth  of  property. 

27.  Advance  in   price  of  gold  from  218  to  233. — General 
Sherman  makes  an  unsuccessful  assault  upon  the  rebel  lines 
at  Kenesaw  Mountain;  Union  loss  2,500. 

28.  Gold  advances  from  233  to  240. 

29.  Gold  advances  to  244. 

30.  Hon.  Salmon  P.  Chase  resigns  his  position  as  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury.— New  Tariff  Bill  passed  by  Congress.— 
New  Internal  Revenue  Act  passed. — Act  passed  to  raise  four 
hundred  millions  of  dollars  by  six  per  cent,  bonds. 


1.  Hon.  Win.  P.  Fessenden,  of  Maine,  appointed   and 
confirmed  as  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  in  place  of  Mr.  Chase, 
resigned. — Advance  in  gold  from  250  to  280;  it  subsequently 
falls  to  240. 

2.  Union  cavalry  under  General  Wilson  return  from  a 
succesttful  raid  south  of  Petersburg,  having  destroyed  50  miles 


154  APPENDIX. 

of  railroad  and  other  rebel  property.— Act  of  Congress  to  re- 
peal the  Gold  Bill  of  June  17. 

3.  The  rebels  commence  a  new  invasion  of  Maryland  and 
Pennsylvania. — General  Sigel's  forces  attacked  at  different 
points,  and  driven  from  Martinsburg. — General  Sherman 
flanks  the  enemy  at  Kenesaw  Mountain  and  compels  them  to 
retreat. 

5.  Harper's  Ferry  and  Hagerstown  occupied  by  rebels; 
the  stores  at  Hagerstown  robbed;  New  York  and  other  States 
called  upon  to  send  troops  to  repel  the  invaders. — The  habeas 
corpus  suspended  and  martial  law  declared  in  Kentucky  by 
proclamation  of  President  Lincoln. 

6.  Advance  in  price  of  gold  to  259. 

7.  Advance  in  gold  to  273. — The  rebels  push  their  invad- 
ing columns  toward  Pennsylvania  and  repulse  small  bodies  of 
Union  troops  found  at  different  points. 

8.  Artillery  fight  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va. ;  the  town 
set  on  fire  by  shells  from  Union  guns. — Frederick,  Md.,  evac- 
uated by  Union  troops  under  General  Wallace  and  occupied 
by  rebels,  who  levy  $200,000  on  the  citizens. 

9.  Union  troops  under  General  Wallace  defeated  by  the 
rebels  at  Monocacy  Bridge. 

10.  The  steamship  Electric  Spark,  of  New  York,  and  four 
other  vessels,  captured  and  destroyed  by  the  rebel  cruiser 
Florida. — Gunpowder  Bridge,  on  the  Baltimore  and  Philadel- 
phia Railroad,  destroyed  by  rebels;  trains  of  cars  also  stopped 
and  passengers  robbed  by  them.— -President  Lincoln  issues  a 
proclamation  relative  to  a  reconstruction  of  the  Union. — Rock- 
ville,  Md.,  entered  and  robbed  by  the  rebels. 

11.  Governor  Bradford's  house  robbed  and  burned  by  the 
rebels. — The  rebels  approach  within  6  miles  of  Washington. 

12.  Frederick,  Md.,  re-occupied  by  Union  troops. 

13.  The  rebels,  after  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  capture 
Washington,  retire  across  the  Potomac. 

14.  Decline  in  price  of  gold  from  268  to  260. — Fight  be- 
tween Union  and  rebel  troops  at  Tupelo,  Miss.;  defeat  of  the 
latter. 

15.  Decline  in  gold  from  260  to  250. 

16.  General  Sherman's  army  successfully  crosses  theChat- 
tahoochee  River. — Advance  in  gold  from  250  to  256. 

18.  Advance  in  gold  from  256  to  266.— Rebels  whipped  at 
Snicker's  Gap  by  General  Crook. — President  Lincoln  issues  a 
proclamation  for  500,000  more  volunteers. 

20.  Severe  fight  between  the  armies  of  General  Sherman 
and  General  Hood  in  front  of  Atlanta;  severe  assault  of  Hood 
successfully  repulsed. 

21.  Peace  Conference  at  Niagara  Falls;   Horace  Greeley 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF  THE   REBELLION.      155 

acts  as  President  Lincoln's  agent,  and  offers  the  rebel  Com- 
missioners a  safe  conduct  to  Washington  and  back. — Gold 
declines  from  262  to  258. — Part  of  the  rebel  invading  force 
overtaken  at  Winchester  by  General  Averill,  and  whipped; 
200  prisoners  and  four  cannon  captured. 

22.  Gold  declines  from  258  to  251.— Terrible  battle  in  front 
of  Atlanta;  rebel  loss  estimated  at  7,000;  15  stand  of  color, 
and  5,000  stand  of  arms;  Union  loss  about  3,200;  General  Mc- 
Pherson  (Union)  killed. 

24.  General  Rousseau  (Union)  completes  a  successful  raid 
in  Alabama  and  Georgia,  capturing  800  mules  and  horses,  and 
about  700  contrabands. — Advance  in  gold  to  257. 

25.  Secretary  Fessenden  advertises  for  bids  to  the  new 
$200,000.000  loan. 

20.  Union  troops  under  General  Averill  defeated  by  rebels 
at  Martinsburg,  Va. 

27.  The  rebel  troops  on  North  side  of  James  River  re- 
pulsed and  defeated,  and  four  of  them  captured. 

2S.  Decline  in  price  of  gold  to  250. — Severe  fight  in  front 
of  Atlanta,  Ga.,  between  the  rebel  and  Union  armies;  the 
rebels  attack  General  Sherman,  and  are  repulsed  with  the  loss 
of  1,000  in  killed  and  wounded. 

30.  A  mine  exploded  under  the  rebel  fortifications  at 
Petersburg,  Va.,  which  are  blown  up  with  the  troops  in  them ; 
a  terrific  battle  ensues;  the  Union  storming  column  is  repulsed 
with  fearful  slaughter;  Union  loss  6,000. 

31.  A  rebel   force   enter  and  burn  nearly  the 'whole  of 
Chambersburg,  Pa.,  and  rob  the  inhabitants,  leaving  them  in 
the  most  destitute  condition. 

AUGUST. 

3.  Rebels  under  General  Early  again  occupy  Martinsburg, 
Va.,  and  Hagerstown,  Md. 

4.  Fight  between  rebel  and  Union  troops  at  New  Creek, 
Md. 

5.  United  States  fleet,  under  Admiral   Farragut,  passes 
Forts  Morgan,  Gaines  and  Powell  into  Mobile  Harbor,  and 
captures  the  iron-clad  ram  Tennessee  (with  Admiral  Buchanan 
on  hoard)  and  gunboat  Selma;  the  Union  gunboat  Tecumseh 
sunk  by  a  torpedo  or  guns  of  Fort  Morgan. 

6.  Another  rebel   mine  exploded    in   front  of  General 
Grant's  lines  without  doing  much  damage,  the  event  being 
prepared  for. 

7.  Advance  in  the  price  of  gold  to  260. —  General  Sherman 
makes  an  important  flank  movement  in  front  of  Atlanta.—  The 
rebels  make  an  attempt  to  recapture  Admiral  Buchanan  from 
Pensacola. 


156  APPENDIX. 

8.  Fort  Gaines,  entrance  of  Mobile  Harbor,  with  26  guns, 
56  officers,  and  818  enlisted  men,  surrendered  to  the  United 
States  forces. — Fort  Powell,  with  18  guns,  blown  up  and  aban- 
doned by  the  rebels. — Union  troops  under  General  Averill 
defeat  the  rebels  under  McCausland,  capture  their  artillery, 
400  horses  and  equipments,  three  battle-nags  and  a  large  num- 
ber of  small  arms. 

10.  Explosion  of  army  ordnance  boat  at  City  Point,  Va. ; 
53  men  killed  and  126  wounded,  and  a  large  amount  of  Gov- 
ernment property  destroyed. 

11.  Pilot  boat  James  "Funk  and  pilot  boat  No.  22,  of  New 
York,  captured  by  the  rebel  pirate  Tallahassee  within  60  miles 
of  New  York  Harbor. 

13.  Defeat  of  the  rebels  on  the  north  side  of  James  River; 
over  500  of  the  rebels,  13  cannon  and  2  mortars  captured. 

14.  About  300  rebels  make  an  attack  on  Selma,  Ky.,  and 
are  repulsed. — Union  troops,  under  General  Hancock,  advance 

•011  the  north  side  of  James  River  to  witbin  7  miles  of  Rich- 
mond, and  capture  600  rebels,  6  cannon  and  2  mortars. 

15.  Special  State  election  in  Connecticut  on  the  question 
of  allowing  absent  soldiers  to  vote;  adopted. — General  Wheel- 
er (rebel)  demands  the  surrender  of  Dalton,  Ga.;  his  troops 
driven  off. 

16.  Another  advance  by  Union  troops  on  the  north  side 
of  James  River;  several  hundred  prisoners  and  a  few  heavy 
guns  captured. 

17.  General  Merritt's  cavalry  attacked  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley  by  Kershaw's  rebel  cavalry;    Union  loss  2  stand  of 
colors  ami  276  prisoners. 

18.  A  Peace  Convention  assembles  at  Syracuse,  attended 
by  Vallandigham,  F.  Wood  and  others. — Advance  of  Union 
troops  under  General  \Varren  across  the  Petersburg  and  Wei- 
don    Railroad;    a   terrible    battle    ensues    without    definite 
results;  Union  loss  about  2,500. — Severe  fight  at  Graysville, 
Ga.,  between  rebels  under  General  Wheeler  and  Union  troops 
under  General  Stedman.  without  definite  results. — The  rebels 
attack  Union  troops  under  General  Birney,  and  are  repulsed 
with  great  slaughter. 

19.  Severe  fight  between  the  rebels  and  Union  troops  under 
General  Warren;  the  rebels  repulsed;   Union  loss  2,800.— 
Martinsburg,  Va.,  re-occupied  by  rebel  troops. 

21.  Another  battle  on  the  line  of  the  Weldon  and  Peters- 
burg Road,  between  Union  troops  under  General  Warren  and 
the  rebels;  the  latter  repulsed  with  fearful  slaughter;  Union 
loss  about  3,000. — Forrest,  with  three  brigades  of  cavalry,  at- 
tacks Memphis,  and  endeavors  to  capture  Generals  Wash- 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY    OF  THE   REBELLION.      157 

burne  and  Hurlbut;  they  fail  in  their  object,  and  are  driven 
out  by  Union  troops. 

22.  Fight  between  rebel  and  Union  troops  near  Charles- 
town,  Va.,  without  decisive  results. — The  rebels  make  another 
desperate  effort  to  drive  General  Warren  from  the  Petersburg 
and  Weldon  Railroad,  but  are  again  repulsed  with  heavy 
loss. — General   Kilpatrick  returns  from  a  successful    raiding 
expedition;  tears  up  14  miles  of  railroad,  captures  4  cannon 
and  200  prisoners. 

23.  Fort  Morgan,  Mobile  Harbor,  Ala.,  with  all  its  guns, 
ammunition,  etc.,  surrenders  to  the  United  States  forces. 

24.  A  large  fire  in  Atlanta,  caused  by  shells  from  General 
Sherman's  batteries. 

25.  The  rebel  pirate  Georgia  captured  by  the  United  States 
frigate  Niagara. — Fight  between  advance  troops  of  the  rebel 
General  Early  and  a  reconnoitering  force  of  General  Sheri- 
dan's, near  Leetown,  Va.;  a  number  of  rebels  captured. — The 
rebels  make  another  assault  upon  Union  troops  under  Gene  nil 
Warren,  011  line  of  Weldon  and  Petersburg  Kailroad,  and  re- 
capture 4  miles  of  the  road;  loss  on  each  side  5,000. 

29.  Decline  in  gold  from  245  to  239. — National  Democratic 
Convention  assembles  at  Chicago. — A  rebel  cavalry  force  at- 
tacks Lebanon,  Ky.,  and  captures  the  Union  guard. 

31.  Secretary  Fessenden  advertises  for  proposals  foT  *.">!,- 
500,000,  the  balance  of  sixes  of  1881. — The  Chicago  Convention 
nominates  George  B.  McClellan,  of  New  Jersey,  for  President, 
and  George  H.  Pendleton,  of  Ohio,  for  Vice-President  of  the 
United  States. 

SEPTEMBER. 

1.  Simeon  Draper  appointed  Collector  of  New  York. 

2.  Atlanta,  Ga.,  captured  by  Union  troops  under  Majo» 
General  Sherman;  27  guns  and  1,000  rebel  prisoners  taken. — 
Fight  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  near  Berry  ville,  Va. ;   defeat 
of  the  rebels;  20  wagons,  2  battle-flags  and  many  prisoners 
captured. 

4.  Fight  with  rebels  at  Greenville,  Tenn.;  John  Morgan, 
the  notorious  gueirilla,  killed,  and  his  force  dispersed. 

5.  President  Lincoln  issues  a  proclamation  of  thanks  to 
Admiral  Farragut  and  Generals  Can  by,  Granger,  Sherman  and 
Sheridan  for  their  signal  victories  over  the  rebels. 

8.  General    McClellan    accepts    his    nomination  for    the 
Presidency. 

9.  Successful  night  attack  by  Union  troops  on  the  rebel 
lines  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va. ;  an  important  position  gained. 

16.  Daring  raid  by  the  rebels  near  Petersburg,  Va.;  they 
capture  3,000  head  of  cattle. 


158  APPENDIX. 

18.  Averill's  corps  at  Martinsburg,  Va.,  attacked  by  the 
Confederate  General  Gordon;  the  latter  repulsed. 

19.  Desperate  fight  with  rebels  at  Opequan  Creek,  She- 
nandoah  Valley ;  the  Union  troops,  under  General  Sheridan, 
capture  3,000    prisoners,   15  battle-flags  and  5  guns — Some 
rebels    capture   the  steamers  Parsons  and  Island    Queen,   on 
Lake  Erie,  and  convert  them  into  pirates. 

20.  The  British  Government  order  that  no  vessel  belong- 
ing to  the  Confederates  or  United  States  shall  enter  British 
ports  for  the  purpose  of  being  dismantled  or  sold. 

21.  Two  steamers,  seized  by   the  rebels  on  Lake    Erie, 
re-captured,  and  the  pirates  arrested. — General  J.  C.  Fremont 
and  General  John  Cochrane  withdraw  from  the  Presidential 
contest. 

22.  General  Sheridan  gains  a  great  victory  at  Fisher's  Hill, 
Shenandoah  Valley ;  captures  20  guns,  beside  caissons,  horses 
and  1,100  prisoners;  Union  General  Russell  killed. 

26.  Gold  panic  in  Wall  street,  New  York. 

27.  Potosi,  Mo.,  captured  by  the  rebels. 

29.  Rebel  fortifications  on  Chapin's  Farm,  Richmond,  Va., 
stormed  and  taken  by  Union  troops;  15  guusand  200  prisoners 
captured. 

30.  Invasion  of  Missouri  by  the  rebels;  railroad  property 
at  Franklin  destroyed. — The  rebels  make   three  unsuccessful 
attempts  to  drive  the  Union  troops  from  Chupin's  Farm,  in 
front  of  Richmond. — Advance  of  Union  troops  and  defeat  of 
the  rebels  at  Poplar  Grove,  near  Petersburg,  Va. 

OCTOBER. 

1.  Secretary  Fessenden  advertises  for  a  loan  of  $40,000,000. 
— Pilot  Knob,  Mo.,  attacked  by  the  rebels,  without  important 
results. 

4.  Severe  fight  between  General  Sherman's  forces  and  the 
rebels  at  Allatoona,  Tenn. — Great  excitement  in  Missouri  in 
consequence  of  the  invasion  of  the  State  by  the  rebels  under 
General  Price. — Capture  of  Athens,  Ala.,  by  the  rebels. 

7.  The  rebel  pirate  Florida,  with  12  officers  and  58  of  her 
crew,  captured  in  the  Bay  of  Bahia,  Brazil,  by  the  United 
States  steamer    Wachusetts. 

8.  Desperate  fight  with  the  rebels  near  Richmond;  severe 
loss  of  life  on  both  sides. — Rome,  Georgia,  re-capture  i  by  the 
rebels;  some  officers  and  3,600  Negroes  taken  prisoners. 

9.  Fight  with  the  rebels  near  Strasburg,  Va.;  about  350 
rebels  and  1J  guns  captured. 

12.  Election  in  Maryland  to  decide  upon  the  adoption  or 
rejection  of  a  new  Constitution  abolishing  slavery;  the  new 
Constitution  adopted. — Death  of  Chief  Justice  Taney. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OP  THE   REBELLION.      159 

14.  Bids  opened  for  $40,000,000  loan  at  the  Treasury 
Department;  $20,000,000  offered  in  excess  of  the  amount  asked 
for. 

17.  Capture  of  Ship's  Gap,  Tenn.,  by  General  Sherman.— 
Lexington  and  Warrensburg,  Mo.,  occupied  by  the  rebels. 

18.  A  party  of  twenty-five  armed  rebels  enter  St.  Albans, 
Vt.,  and  rob  three  banks  of  $150,000,  and  shoot  five  citizens; 
then  flee  to  Canada,  where  they  are  arrested  by  the  Cana- 
dian authorities. 

19.  Great  battle  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  between  Union 
forces,  under  General  Sheridan,  and  the  rebels,  under  General 
Early;  defeat  of  the  latter,  and  capture  of  43  guns,  beside  cais- 
sons, horses  and  prisoners. 

22.  General  Blunt  defeated  by  the  rebels  under  General 
Price  at  Lexington,  Mo. 

28.  The  rebel  ram  Albemarle  blown  up  in  Roanoke  River 
by  a  United  States  torpedo  boat,  under  the  command  of  Lieu- 
tenant Gushing. — Fight  between  General  Pleasanton's  Union 
army  and  General  Price's  rebel  army  at  Newtown,  Mo. ;  defeat 
of  the  latter;  1,000  rebels  and  7,100  stand  of  arms  captured. 

30.  The  State  of  Nevada  admitted  to  the  Union,  officially 
announced. 

31.  Capture  of  Plymouth,  N.  C.,  by  Union  troops. 

NOVEMBER. 

3.  Fight  between  the  Union  forces  under  General  Sher- 
man and  the  rebels  under  General  Hood;  defeat  of  the  latter. 
— Armed  bands  of  rebels  appear  on  the  likes  and  occasion 
great  excitement  and  alarm  along  the  Northern  frontier.— 
Rebel  troops  under  General  Price  attack  Fayetteville,  Ark., 
and  are  repulsed  with  a  loss  of  about  1,000  in  killed  and 
wounded. 

4.  Destruction  of  six  United  States  vessels  by  two  new 
rebel  cruisers,  the  Chickamauga  and  Oluslee,  announced. 

7.  Night  attack  by  rebels  on  Union  troops  in  front  of 
Petersburg,  Va.;  repulse  of  the  former. 

8.  Presidential  election;  Abraham  Lincoln  carries  every 
State  except  Delaware,  Kentucky  and  New  Jersey. 

9.  Advance  of  12£  per  cent,  in  the  price  of  gold.— Gen- 
eral Sherman 'starts  on  a  march  through  Georgia  to  the  coast. 

11.  Rebels  rush  into  Atlanta,  supposing  it  to  have  been 
evacuated  by  Union  troops,  and  are  handsomely  whipped; 
900  of  them  taken  prisoners. 

14.  The  rebels  under  General  Breckinridge  attack  the 
Union  troops  under  General  Gillem  at  Bull  Gap,  and  capture 
400  Union  troops. 


160  APPENDIX. 

17.  The  rebels  repulsed  in  a  night  attack  on  Union  lines 
at  Bermuda  Hundred. 

18.  Severe  fight  between  the  rebel  and  Union  troops  at 
Strawberry  Plains,  Tenn.,  without  decisive  results. — Forty-five 
Union  scouts   captured  by   the  rebel  General   Mosby,  near 
Charlestown,  Va. 

19.  Norfolk,  Va.,   Fernandina    and    Pensacola,    Florida, 
opened  for  trade,   the    blockade    being  partially  raised  by 
proclamation     of    President     Lincoln. — The     pirate     Florida 
collides  with  the  Alliance  in  Hampton  Roads. 

20.  Decline  in  gold  to  216. 

22.    Battle  between  the  rebel  and  Union  troops  at  Rood's 
Hill,  Va.,  without  important  results. 

24.  Waynesboro,  Tenn.,  occupied  by  rebel  troops  under 
General  Hood. 

25.  An  agent  from  England,  with  a  numerously  signed 
peace  petition  to  be  presented  to  President  Lincoln,  arrives  at 
New  York. — Several  hotels  of  New  York  City  set  on  fire  by 
Southern  incendiaries. 

26.  General  Hood  makes  an  assault  on  Union  lines  at 
Columbus,  south  of  Duck  River,  Tenn. 

27.  General    Butler's    despatch   steamer    Greyhound   de- 
stroyed by  fire;  General  Butler,  General  Schenck  and  Admiral 
Porter  have  a  narrow  escape. 

28.  Rebels  under  General  Paine  occupy  New  Creek  and 
Piedmont,  and  destroy  considerable  property;  they  are  finally 
driven  from  the  last  named  place. — The    Florida  sinks  in 
Hampton  Roads. 

29.  Roger  A.  Pryor,  of  Virginia,  captured  by  Union  pick- 
ets in  front  of  Petersburg. 

DECEMBER. 

1.  Gold  228. — Hood  moving  his  forces  against  Thomas  at 
Nashville.— The  President  orders  the  organization  of  the  First 
Army  Corps  by  General  Hancock. — Hon.  Wm.  L.  Dayton, 
Minister  to  France,  dies  at  Paris. 

2.  General  Sherman's  advance  reaches  Millen. 

4.  Six   Southerners  arrested  in  New   York  by  order    of 
General  Dix,  on  suspicion  of  being  engaged  in  a  plot  to  fire 
the  city. 

5.  General  Burbridge  moves  against  Breckinridge  at  Bean 
Station,  Tenn. — The  second  session  of  the  Thirty-eighth  Con- 
gress opens  at  Washington. — James  L.  Speed,  of  Tennessee, 
nominated  for  Attorney  General,  vice  Bates. — General  Sher- 
man's army  united  and  marching  on  Savannah. — A  fight  near 
Pocotalgo,  S.  C. 

6.  General  Sherman  skirmishes  with  the  rebels  25  miles 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF  THE   REBELLION.      161 

from  Savannah.— General  Foster  and  Admiral  Dahlgren  land 
near  Pocotalgo  and  cut  the  Charleston  road. 

7.  Mr.  Stevens'  Gold  Bill  tabled  by  the  House.— The  Elec- 
toral Colleges  of  the  several  States  meet  and  cast  their  votes 
for  President. — General  Warren  moves  down  the  Weldon 
Road  toward  Hicksford  Junction.— General  Rosecrans  relieved 
by  General  Dodge,  in  command  of  Department  of  Missouri. — 
The  gunboat  Narcissus  blown  up  in  Mobile  Bay  by  a  torpedo. 

9.  The  rebel  General  Lyon  crosses  the  Cumberland,  above 
Fort  Donelsou,  for  a  raid  into  Kentucky.— General  Foster 
reaches  the  Meherrin  River,  having  destroyed  the  railroad 
thus  far. — Captain  Duncan,  of  General  Ho  ward's  scouts,  leaves 
Sherman's  Army  to  communicate  with  the  coast. 

12.  The  House  passes  the  Bankrupt  Bill. — Heavy  skirmish- 
ing   between    Hood    and  Thomas. — Admiral    Dalilgren    and 
General  Sherman  in  communication. — The  rebel  General  Lyon 
enters  Hopkinsville,  Ky. 

13.  The  Senate  authorizes  the  construction  of  six  revenue 
cutters  for  the  lakes. — A  bill  authorizing  the  President  to  ter- 
minate the  Reciprocity  Treaty  passes  the  House. — The  Cana- 
dian Courts  decide  that  they  have  no  jurisdiction  in  the  case 
of  the  St.  Albans  and  Lake  Erie  pirates,  and  release  them. — 
General  Sherman  investing  Savannah. — Admiral  Porter's  ex- 
pedition leaves  Fortress  Monroe  lor  Wilmington. 

14.  General  Dix  issues  an  order  directing  pursuit  of  rebel 
raiders  over  .the  Canada  border. — The   Canadian  imbroglio 
discussed    in  Congress. — Resolution  offered   demanding    in- 
demnity from  England  for  the  depredations  of  rebel  pirates. — 
The  House  passes  a  bill  naturalizing  aliens  who  have  been  in 
the  Army  or  Navy. — Fort  McAllister  carried  by  storm. 

15.  General  Thomas  defeats  Hood  in  front  of  Nashville. — 
Generals  Stoneman  and  Burbridge  at  Glade  Springs,  Va., 
raiding  on  the  Tennessee  Road. 

16.  General   Thomas    again  victorious  over  Hood;    the 
rebel  army  in  full  flight. 

17.  Secretary  Seward  orders  that  passports  be  required  of 
all  persons  entering  or  leaving  the  country. — General  Thomas 
still  pushing  Hood. — Peace  resolutions  introduced  in  the  rebel 
House. — General  McCook  defeats  Lyon  at  Ashbyville,  Ky. — 
The  exchange  of  prisoners  completed  at  Charleston. 

18.  General  McCook  again  defeats  Lyon  at  Hopkiusville, 
Ky.,  taking  all  his  artillery. 

19.  Gold  211  i.— Call  of  the   President  for  300,000  more 
men. — Fifteen  steamers  at  Nassau,  waiting  to  run  the  block- 
ade. 

20.  The  bill  creating  the  rank  of  Vice-Admiral    passes 
Congress. — Gold  224. — Re-arrest  of  one  of  the  St.  Albans  raid- 


162  APPENDIX. 

ers  in  Canada. — Reaction  of  sentiment. — Hood  crosses  Duck 
River  after  losing  half  his  army,  51  guns  and  nearly  all  his 
Generals;  General  Thomas  in  close  pursuit. — Hardee  evacu- 
ates Savannah  by  the  Union  causeway. — Saltville,  Va.,  occu- 
pied by  Union  troops,  and  the  works  destroyed. 

21.  Rear  Admiral  Farragut  confirmed  by  the  Senate  as 
Vice  Admiral. — Admiral  Porter's  fleet  in  Bight  of  Wilmington. 
— Hoke's  Brigade  of  Longstreet's  Corps,  leaves  Richmond  for 
the  South. — General  Palmer  occupies  Bower  Hill,  eight  miles 
from  Portsmouth,  Va. — General  Sherman  makes  a  triumphal 
entry  into  Savannah. 

22.  Hood  at  Pulaski  in  full  retreat,  with  a  demoralized 
mob,  and  a  victorious  army  upon  his  heels.— General  Custer 
attacks  Rosser  near  Harrisonburg,  Va.,and  then  moves  toward 
Gordonsville. 

23.  All  of  Porter's  expedition  in  sight  from  Fort  Fisher. 

24.  Gordonsville  occupied  by  a  Union  force. — The  naval 
and  military  expedition  under  Porter  and  Butler  make  an 
attack  on  Fort  Fisher,  and  the  powder  boat  is  exploded  with- 
in 300  yards  of  the  fort. 

25.  General  Stedman  moving  on  Decatur  on  Hood's  rear. 
— The  attack  on  Fort  Fisher  renewed,  and  troops  lauded  in 
the  rear. — Capture  of  three  of  the  St.  Albans  robbers  at  Con- 
cord, N.  H. 

26.  Admiral  Porter  continues  the  bombardment  of  Fort 
Fisher. 

27.  The  expedition  against  Wilmington  withdrawn. — Ad- 
miral Porter  continues  the  attack. — Hood  crosses  the  Tennes- 
see on  pontoons;   General  Thomas  pursuing. 

28.  Brilliant  success  of  Generals  Stoneman  and  Burbridge ; 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky  clear  of  rebels. 

30.  General  Stoneman  returns  to  Nashville  from  his  great 
raid  in  Tennessee  and  Virginia. — General  Thomas  announces 
the  close  of  his  campaign. 

31.  General  Thomas  countermands  his  order  for  winter- 
quarters,  and  directs  a  concentration  of  his  command  for  a 
renewal  of  hostilities. 

18O5. 

JANUARY. 

1.  The  head  of  Dutch  Gap  Canal  blown  out,  but  it  results 
in  a  fiasco. — Admiral  Farragut  commissioned  as  Vice-Admiral. 

2.  The  passport  system  goes  into  operation  on  the  fron- 
tier. 

6.    General  Sherman  and  his  army  thanked  by  Congress; 
he  crosses  New  River  and  moves  on  Grahamsville,  S.  C. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF  THE   REBELLION.      163 

8.  General  Butler  relieved  from  command  and  ordered  to 
Lowell,  Mass. 

11.  F.  P.  Blair,  Sen.,  goes  to  Richmond  on  a  peace  mis- 
sion. 

12.  Admiral  Porter's  and  General  Terry's  joint  expedition 
arrives  off  Fort  Fisher,  N.  C. 

13.  The  attack  on  Fort  Fisher  commenced;  troops  landed 
above  the  Fort. 

14.  Parson  Brownlow  nominated  for  Governor  of  Tennes- 
see.   Missouri  declared  a  Free   State. — Capture  of  Pocotalgo. 
S.  C. 

15.  Fort  Fisher,  N.  C.,  captured. — Hon.  Edward  Everett 
died. 

16.  "  Sunset "  Cox's  peace  resolution  tabled  by  the  House. 
— Explosion  of  the  magazine  of  Fort  Fisher. 

17.  Loss  of  the  monitor  Patapsco  in  Charleston  Harbor. — 
Fort  Caswell  and  the  pirates  Chicamauga  and  TallaJiassee  blown 
up  by  the  rebels. 

18.  General  Ord  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  James. — Five 
blockade-runners  enter  New  Inlet,  N.  C.,  and  are  trapped. — 
The  Harriet  Lane  destroyed  at  Havana. 

19.  Congress  thanks  Terry,  Thomas,  and  Porter. 

20.  Mr.  Blair,  Sen.,  leaves  on  a  second  mission  to  Rich- 
mond.— The  rebel  Secretaries  of  War  and  State  resign. — Gen- 
eral Thomas  reports  13,189  prisoners  and  72  cannon  taken  from 
Hood  between  September  7,  1864,  and  date. 

23.  General    Butler  sends   a    challenge  to    Hon.  James 
Brooks. — General  Schofield's  corps  leaves  Louisville  for  opera- 
tions in  the  East. — Hood  relieved  of  his  command;  Dick  Taylor 
succeeds  him. 

24.  The  rebel  iron-dads  descend  the  James,  but  are  driven 
back,  and  the  Virginia  blown  up.— H.  S.  Foote  expelled  from 
the  rebel  Congress. 

25.  Congress  thanks  General  Sheridan.— George  B.  Mc- 
Clellan  leaves  for  Europe. — General  Lee  made  General-in- 
Chief  by  Jeff.  Davis,  who  also  appoints  a  Fast  Day. 

26.  The  rebel   rain    Stonewall    leaves    Nantes,   France.— 
Twenty-five  blockade-runners  lying  idle  at  Nassau,  N.  P. 

28.  The  rebel  House  resolves  to  arm  the  Negroes. — An  at- 
tempt to  destroy  Savannah  by  fire. 

30.  Stephens,  Hunter  and  Campbell  enter  General  Grant's 
lines  as  Peace  Commissioners.— General  Sherman  commences 
his  South  Carolina  campaign. 

31.  The  Constitutional  Amendment  prohibiting  slavery 
passes  the  House  by  a  vote  of  119  to  56. — General  Lee  made 
General-in-Chief  of  the  rebel  army. — The  gunboat  Honduras 
refused  anchorage  at  Nassau,  N.  P. 


164  APPENDIX. 


FEBKUAEY. 

1.  Mr.  Seward  goes  to  Fortress  Monroe  to  meet  the  rebel 
Peace  Commissioners. — Maryland  House,  and  Illinois  ratify 
the  Constitutional  Amendment. — John  S.   Rock,  a    colored 
lawyer  of  Massachusetts,  admitted  to  practice  in  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court. 

2.  The  President  leaves  Washington  to  meet  the  rebel 
Peace   Commissioners. — The  New  York  Senate  and  Rhode 
Island  Legislature  ratify  the  Constitutional  Amendment. — The 
Canadian  Alien  Act  passes  the  Lower  House. — General  Sher- 
man's advance  at  Braxton's  Bridge. 

3.  The  New  Nork  Assemby,  and  Massachusetts,  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Maryland  Senate  ratify  the  Constitutional  Amend- 
ment.— Louisiana  left  out  of  the  Electoral  College. 

4.  Failure  of  the  Peace  negotiations;  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr. 
Seward  return  to  Washington;  the  rebels  demand  recognition, 
and  it  is  refused. — Fernando  Wood  makes  a  war  speech. — 
Gold  in  Richmond  4,400. — General  Sherman  flanks  the  rebels 
at  Solkahatchee,  and  they  retire  to  Branchville. — The  rebel 
ram  Stonewall  puts  in  at  Ferrol,  Spain. 

6.  Engagement  at  Hatcher's  Run,  Ya.;  a  reconnoissance 
of  the  left. 

7.  Maine  ratifies  the  Constitutional  Amendment. — The 
amended  Enrollment  Bill  passes  the  Senate. — The  rebel  Sen- 
ate refuse  to  employ  Negroes  in  the  army. 

8.  Colonel  Baker  makes  a  raid  on  the  bounty-jumpers 
and   brokers. — Official  declaration  of  the   Presidential  vote; 
Abraham   Lincoln,  212,  and  George  B.  McClellan,  21. — Dela- 
ware refuses  to  ratify  the  Constitutional  Amendment;  Ohio, 
Minnesota  and  Kansas  ratify  it. 

10.  Indiana  ratifies  the  Constitutional  Amendment. — The 
President  signs  the  notice  to  Great  Britain  for  the  termination 
of  the  treaty  respecting  the  naval  force  on  the  Lakes. — Gen- 
eral Gillmore  takes  command  of  the  Department  of  the  South, 
and  moves  against  Charleston. — The  rebels  repulsed  from  Fort 
Meyers,  Fla. 

11 .  The  Senate  thanks  General  Thomas.— II.  S.  Foote,  late 
rebel  Senator,  leaves  in  the  City  of  Cork  for  Europe. 

13.    The  national  debt,  $2,153,735,444.26;  interest,  $93,131,- 
901.36. 

16.  General  Sherman  shells  Columbia,  S.  C. 

17.  Columbia,  S.  C..  captured  by  General  Sherman. — Fort 
Anderson,  Cape  Fear  River,  shelled  by  our  forces. — General 
Schofield  advancing  from  Smithfield,  N.  C. — Rebel  dollar  esti- 
mated by  the  rebels  as  worth  two  cents  in  specie. — Charleston 
evacuated. — Louisiana  ratifies  the  Constitutional  Amendment. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF   THE   REBELLION.      165 

18.  Charleston  surrendered  to  General  Gillmore. — Gen- 
eral Lee  urges  the  employment  of  Negroes  in  the  army. 

19.  Fort  Anderson,  N.  C.,  captured  by  General  Terry. 

20.  The  rebel  House  passes  the  bill  to  raise  200,000  Negro 
soldiers,  but  the  Senate  rejects  it. 

21.  The  draft  commenced  in  Brooklyn. — Generals  Crook 
and  Kelly  captured  by  guerrillas. — Wilmington  evacuated. 

22.  The     Kentucky    Senate     rejects    the    Constitutional 
Amendment. — Wilmington,  N.  C.,  occupied  by  General  Scho- 
field. 

23.  General  Johnston  takes  command  of  the  forces  operat- 
ing against  General  Sherman. — Camden,  S.  C.,  captured. — 
Georgetown,  S.  C.,  surrendered. 

24.  Columbia,  S.  C.,  burned. — Beall,  the  pirate  and  spy, 
bung  on  Governor's  Island. — Wisconsin  ratifies  the  Constitu- 
tional Amendment. 

26.  The  pirate  Shenandoah  arrives  at  Melbourne,  Australia. 

27.  General  Sheridan  leaves  Winchester,  Va.,  on  an  expe- 
dition. 

28.  General  Sherman's  forces  enter  North  Carolina. — Lord 
Lyons  resigns   as  British  Minister,  and  is  succeeded  by  Sir 
Frederick  Bruce. 

MAKCH. 

1.  The  President  officially  notified  of  his  re-election. 

2.  Staunton,  Va.,  captured  by  General  Sheridan;  General 
Custer  has  an  engagement  at  Waynesboro,  Va. 

3.  Chesterfield  Court-house,  S.  C. ,  captured  by  the  Twen- 
tieth Corps. 

4.  President  Lincoln  and  Vice-President  Johnson  inaugu- 
rated.— The  rebels  defeated  at  Natural  Bridge,  Va. 

6.  General  celebration  of  the  recent  victories;  a  proces- 
sion and  fireworks  in  New  York. — General  Sheridan  raiding 
on  the  James  River  Canal,  destroying  the  great  feeder  to 
Richmond. 

7.  Hugh    McCulloch    confirmed   as   Secretary    of    the 
Treasury. 

8.  The    Canadian  passport  order    rescinded.  —General 
Sherman  at  Laurel  Hill,  N.  C. 

9.  Bragg  repulsed  at   Kingston,  N.  C.,  by    Schofield's 
advance. 

10.  Jeff.   Davis's  Fast  Day. — Cavalry    engagement  near 
Fayetteville,  N.  C.,  and  the  fight  at  Kingston,  N.  C.,  renewed; 
the  rebels  defeated;  Fayetteville  captured.— General  Sheridan 
occupies  Columbia,  Va. 

1 1 .  The  President  orders  the  disfranchiseinent  of  non-re- 


166  APPENDIX. 

porting  deserters. — General  Sheridan  opens  communication 
with  Wilmington,  N.  C.,  by  means  of  scouts. 

13.  Generals  Crook  and  Kelly  exchanged. 

14.  Sheridan  pursuing  Early  and  his  body  guard,  all  that 
is  left  of  his  army.— General  Sherman  leaves  "Fayetteville,  N. 
C.,  destroys  the  arsenal,  and  moves  on  Goldsborp. 

16.  The  rebel  Congress  declares  that  it  is  impossible  to 
issue  any  more  Treasury  Notes. — The  rebels  undermine  and 
blow  up  Fort  Hell,  but  no  damage  is  done. — Hardee  defeated 
at  Averysboro,  N.  C.,  and  falls  back  on  Bentonville. 

17.  John  Bigelow  appointed  Minister  to  France,  vice  Day- 
ton, deceased. 

18.  The  rebel  Congress  adjourns  sine  die. — A  movement 
against  Mobile  commenced. 

19.  General  Sheridan's  entire  command  arrives  at  White 
House,  Va. — Johnston  defeated  at  Bentonville,  N.  C. — Golds- 
boro  evacuated,  and  the  rebel  forces  fall  back  on  Smithfield. 
General  Steele  leaves  Pensacola,  Fla.,  to  attack  Mobile. 

.  21.  Gold  falls  to  153,  creating  a  panic  in  the  market. — Gen- 
eral Schofield  occupies  Goldsboro,N.  C.1— The  pirate  Stonewall 
leaves  Ferrol,  Spain,  but  is  pursued  by  the  Niagara,  and 
returns,  afraid  to  fight. 

22.  Concentration   of  Sherman's,  Schofield's  and  Terry's 
forces  at  and  around  Goldsboro,  N.  C. 

23.  The  President  leaves  Washington  for  General  Grant's 
headquarters. — The  first  company  of  Negro  State  troops  raised 
in  Richmond. 

25.  Captain  Kennedy,  the  spy  and  incendiary,  hung  at 
Fort  Lafayette. — The  rebels  attack  and  carry  Fort  Steadman, 
but  the  fort  is  re-taken  by  a  vigorous  charge  of  the  Ninth 
Corps;  the  President  witnesses  the  action. — General  Granger 
commences  a  co-operating  movement  against  Mobile. 

27.  General    Sherman  arrives  at  General  Grant's   head- 
quarters.— General  Stoneman  captures  Boone,  N.  C. — General 
Wilson  moves  on  Greenville,  Ala. — A  general  advance  made 
on  Spanish  Fort,  Mobile  Bay. — The  Stonewall  arrives  at  Lisbon, 
Portugal,  having  escaped  from  Ferrol,  Spain,  and  is  ordered 
to  leave  the  harbor. 

28.  A  Council  of  War  held,  at  which  the  President,  Gen- 
erals Grant,  Sherman,   Sheridan  and  Ord  are  present;  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac    moves. — The  fleet  moves  tip  Mobile 
Bay  against  Spanish  Fort. 

29.  The  St.  Albans  raiders  discharged  at  Montreal. — Mr. 
Seward  visits  the  President  at  City  Point,  Va. — General  Sheri- 
dan passes  through  Dinwiddie  Court-house;  the  advance  of 
Meade  encounters  the  enemy  near  Gravelly  Run. — General 
Steele  joins  General  Canby  at  Blakely,  Ala. — The  Niagara  and 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF   THE   REBELLION.      167 

Sacramento  fired  upon  by  the  Portuguese  forts  at  Lisbon ;  the 
Niagara  struck  on  the  poop  and  both  vessels  then  anchor. 

30.  Genera]  Meade's  left  threatening  the  South  Side  Road. 

31.  The  rebels  drive  our  left  from  Dabney's  Milis,  but  are 
in  turn  forced  back. — The  transport  General  Lyon  burned  off 
Hatteras,  and  nearly  five  hundred  lives  are  lost. 


1.  Battle  of  Five  Forks,  Va.;  the  rebel  right  doubled  up 
on  the  center,  and  a  portion  of  the  wing  cut  off. 

2.  General  Grantorders  an  attack  on  the  whole  line,  and, 
after  desperate  fighting,  both  wings  are  rested  on  the  Appo- 
mattox;  the  South  Side  Road  is  cut,  and  during  the  day  and 
night  RICHMOND  AND  PETERSBURG  ARE  EVACUATED,  and  Lee's 
army  is  in  full  retreat  for  Danville;  the  rebel  General  A.  P. 
Hill  killed. — Selma,  Ala.,  captured  by  General  Wilson's  cav- 
alry, together  with  the  greater  portion  of  Forrest's  and  Roddy's 
commands. 

3.  The  evacuation    of   Petersburg   and   Richmond    dis- 
covered, and  General  Grant  starts  in  pursuit  of  Lee;  General 
Weitzel  occupies  Richmond. — Gold  closes  at  146£. — Jeff.  Davis 
at  Danville,  Va.,  a  fugitive. 

4.  The  steamer  Harriet  Deford  captured  on  the  Patuxent 
River  by  rebels. — The  President  visits  Richmond  and  holds  a 
levee  in  Jeff  Davis's  house. — Spanish  Fort,  Mobile  Harbor, 
completely  invested  by  land  and  water. 

5.  Mr.  Seward  thrown  from  his  carriage  and  breaks  his 
arm    and  jaw. — General  Sheridan  and  an    infantry   column 
reaches   Burkesville,  Va.,  heading  off  Lee,  who  is  at  Amelia 
Court-house;  an  engagement  at  Lamer's  Cross  Roads  in  which 
the  rebels  are  defeated. 

6.  Governor  Fenton  appoints  the  14th  as  a  day  of  thanks- 
giving.— H.  S.  Foote   returns  to  New  York  in  the  steerage  of 
the  Etna.    General  Sheridan  attacks  Lee  west  of  Burkesville 
and  routs  him,  capturing  Ewell  and  a  number  of  other  gener- 
als.— The   news  of  the  capture   of  Richmond  announced  to 
Sherman's  army. 

7.  General  Grant  urges  Lee  to  surrender  to  save  the  fur- 
ther effusion  of  blood;  Lee  asks  for  terms. — An  informal  meet- 
ing of  the  Virginia  Legislature  held  in  Richmond  to  consider  a 
proposition  from  Mr.  Lincoln. 

8.  General   Grant  states  the    terms  of  surrender,  upon 
which  Lee  asks  an  interview. — Governor  Fenton  postpones  the 
thanksgiving  to  the  20th  inst.,  by  request. 

9.  GENERAL   LEE  SURRENDERS  THE  ARMY  OF  NORTHERN 
VIRGINIA  TO  GENERAL  GRANT. — The  President  and  Mrs.  Lincoln 

(6) 


168  APPENDIX. 

return  to  Washington. — Mobile  captured;  300  guns  and  3,000 
prisoners. 

10.  General  rejoicing  all   over  the  country. — All  the  St. 
Albans  raiders,  except  Young,  released. — The  President  issues 
a  proclamation  closing  certain  Southern  ports. 

11.  The  President  makes  a  speech  in  which  he  defines  the 
States  of  the  rebellion  and  hints  at  plans  for  restoration.— He 
issues  a  proclamation  respecting  the  treatment  of  our  national 
vessels  in  foreign  ports,  and  threatens  retaliation  for  discourt- 
esey. — A  Te  Deum  chanted  in  Trinity  Church. — Lyuchburg, 
Va.,  surrenders  to  a  Union  scouting  party. 

12.  A  convention  of  prominent  men  in  Virginia  called  for 
the  25th,  with  the  intention  of  bringing  the  State  back  into  the 
Union. 

13.  PRACTICAL  END  OF  THE  WAR;  General  Grant  arrives  in 
Washington  and  advises  that  the  draft  be  stopped,  that  recruit- 
ing cease,  and  that  the  military  establishment  be  reduced. — 
Lee  reported  to  have  advised  Johnston  to  surrender  to  Sher- 
man. 

14.  The  Europa  arrives  with  news  that  the  American  Min- 
ister at  Lisbon  has  demanded  satisfaction  for  the  outrage  on 
the   American  flag. — THE   PRESIDENT  ASSASSINATED   IN  FORD'S 
THEATER,   WASHINGTON,   BY  J.   WILKES  BOOTH,  who  escapes; 
another  assassin    proceeds  to   Mr.    Seward's  residence    and 
seriously  stabs  him  in  the  throat,  also  assaulting  Mr.  Freder- 
ick W.  Seward. 

15.  The    President    dies    about  half- past  seven  o'clock; 
Andrew  Johnson  becomes  President  of   the  United  States. 

18.  Paine  and  Powell,  who  endeavor  to  assassinate  Secre- 
tary Seward,  arrested  at  Mrs.  Surratt's  house  in  Washington; 
Mrs.  Surratt  arrested. — General  Sherman  arranges  prelimi- 
naries for  the  surrender  of  all  the   remaining  confederate 
forces  with  General  Johnston,  commanding  Southern  army 
in  North  Carolina,  with  consent  of  Confederate  Secretary  of 
War  and  Jeff.  Davis. — It  includes  the  basis  of  general  peace 
and  a  policy  of  re-construction. — It  is  sent  to  the  federal  gov- 
ernment for  their  approval  or  rejection. 

19.  Funeral  ceremonies  Of  President  Lincoln  at  Washing- 
ton.— Funeral  services  all  over  the  North.  The  body  is  carried 
in  state  to  Springfield,  111.,  stopping  at  prominent  places  on 
the  route,  and  visited  by  great  numbers  of  people;   700,000 
were  said  to  have  been  in  the  procession  at  New  York. 

21.  General  Sherman's  arrangements  with  Johnston  dis- 
approved by  the  government,  and  he  is  ordered  to  resume 
hostilities. — Steamboat  Sultana  blows  up  on  the  Mississippi, 
and  about  1,300  TL  S.  soldiers  returning  home  were  killed. 

24.     General  Grant  visits  Sherman. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   HISTORY   OF   THE   REBELLION.       169 

25.  J.  W.   Booth,  the  assassin  of  the   President,  taken 
prisoner  near  Port  Royal,  Va. — Refusing  to  surrender,  Boston 
Corbett,  a  soldier,  shot  him,  contrary  to  orders;  he  died  in 
four  hours,  amidst  universal  execration. 

26.  Johnston  surrenders  to  General  Sherman  all  the  con- 
federate troops  in  his  command,  on  terms  granted  to  General 
Lee. 

29.    Arms  and  stores  of  General  Johnston's  army  delivered 
to  U.  S.  authority  at  Greensboro,  N.  C. 


2.  Reward  offered  for  capture  of  Jeff.  Davis  of  $100,000, 
as  President  Johnson  believed  him  accessory  to  the  murder 
of  Lincoln. 

4-9.  All  the  confederate  forces  disband  or  surrender  to 
U.  S.  officers,  east  and  west  of  the  Mississippi  River. 

10.  Jeff.  Davis  captured  in  Georgia,  in  a  woman's  water- 
proof, just  at  break  of  day,  by  General  Henry  Harnden,  of 
Wisconsin,  and  Colonel  Pritchard,  of  Michigan,  between 
whose  commands  the  reward  of  $100,000  was  divided. 


170  APPENDIX. 


MARCHING  THROUGH  GEORGIA. 

Bring  the  good  old  bugle,  boys !  we'll  sing  another  song — 
Sing  it  with  a  spirit  that  will  start  the  world  along— 
Sing  it  as  we  used  to  sing  it,  fifty  thousand  strong, 
While  we  were  marching  through  Georgia. 


CHORUS : 

Hurrah  !   hurrah  !  we  bring  the  Jubilee  ! 
Hurrah  !  hurrah  !  the  flag  that  makes  you  free  ! 
So  we  sang  the  chorus  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea, 
While  we  were  marching  through  Georgia. 


How  the  darkies  shouted  when  they  heard  the  joyful  sound ! 
How  the  turkeys  gobbled  which  our  commissary  found ! 
How  the  sweet  potatoes  even  started  from  the  ground ! 
While  we  were  marching  through  Georgia. 

Chorus — 


Yes,  and  there  were  Union  men  who  wept  with  joyful  tears, 
When  they  saw  the  honored  flag  they  had  not  seen  for  years— 
Hardly  could  they  be  restrained  from  breaking  forth  in  cheers, 
While  we  were  marching  through  Georgia. 

Chorus — 


Sherman's  dashing  Yankee  boys  will  never  reach  the  coast! 
So  the  saucy  rebels  said;  and  'twas  a  handsome  boast, 
Had  they  not  forgot,  alas !  to  reckon  with  the  host, 
While  we  were  marching  through  Georgia. 

Cliorus — 


So  we  made  a  thoroughfare  for  Freedom  and  her  train, 
Sixty  miles  in  latitude,  three  hundred  to  the  main; 
Treason  fled  before  us,  for  resistance  was  in  vain, 
\Vhile  we  were  marching  through  Georgia. 

Chorus — 


SHERMAN'S  MARCH  TO  THE  SEA.  171 


SHERMAN'S  MARCH  TO  THE  SEA. 

Our  camp-fire  shone  bright  on  the  mountains 

That  frowned  on  the  river  below, 
While  we  stood  by  our  guns  in  the  morning, 

And  eagerly  watched  for  the  foe ; 
When  a  rider  came  out  from  the  darkness 

That  hung  over  mountain  and  tree, 
And  shouted,  "Boys,  up  and  be  ready, 

For  Sherman  will  march  to  the  sea." 

Then  cheer  upon  cheer  for  bold  Sherman, 

Went  up  from  each  valley  and  glen, 
And  the  bugles  re-echoed  the  music 

That  came  from  the  lips  of  the  men. 
For  wo  knew  that  the  stars  on  our  banner 

More  bright  in  their  splendor  would  be, 
And  that  blessings  from  Northland  would  greet^us 

When  Sherman  marched  down  to  the  si  ;i. 

Then  forward,  boys,  forward  to  battle, 

We  marched  on  our  wearisome  way, 
And  we  stormed  the  wild  hills  of  Reseca — 

God  bless  those  who  fell  on  that  day  ! 
Then  Kent-saw,  dark  in  its  glory, 

Frowned  down  on  the  flag  of  the  free, 
But  the  East  and  the  West  bore  our  standards, 

And  Sherman  marched  down  to  the  sea. 

Still  onward  we  pressed  till  our  banners 

Swept  out  from  Atlanta's  grim  walls, 
And  the  blood  of  the  patriot  dampened 

The  soil  where  the  traitor's  flag  falls  ; 
But  we  paused  not  to  weep  for  the  fallen, 

Who  sleep  by  each  river  and  tree, 
Yet  we  twined  them  a  wreath  ot  the  laurel, 

As  Sherman  marched  down  to  the  sea. 

Oh,  proud  was  our  army  that  morning, 

That  stood  where  the  pine  proudly  towers, 
When  Sherman  said,  "Boys,  you  are  weary, 

This  day  fair  Savannah  is  ours  !" 
Then  sung  we  a  song  for  our  chieftain, 

That  echoed  o'er  river  and  lea. 
And  the  stars  in  our  banner  shone  brighter, 

When  Sherman  marched  down  to  the  sea. 

And  now,  though  our  marching  is  over, 

And  peace  and  the  Union  are  sure, 
We  think  we  will  finish  our  labor, 

And  all  that  we  fought  for  secure, 
By  voting  for  wise  men  and  true  men 

That  they  may  our  sentinels  be, 
To  guard  what  our  gallant  men  went  for, 

When  Shermau  marched  down  to  the  sea. 


172  APPENDIX. 

SHERIDAN'S  RIDE. 

By  T.  Buchanan  Read. 

Up  from  the  South  at  break  of  day, 

Bringing  to  Winchester  fresh  dismay, 

The  affrighted  air  with  a  shudder  bore 

Like  a  herald  in  haste  to  the  chieftain's  door, 

The  terrible  grumble,  aud  rumble,  nnd  roar, 

Telling  the  battle  was  on  once  more, 

And  Sheridan  twenty  milts  away  ! 

And  wider  still  those  billows  of  war 

Thundered  along  the  horizon  bar ; 

And  louder  yet  into  Winchester  rolled 

The  roar  of  that  red  sea  uncontrolled, 

Making  the  blood  of  the  listener  cold 

As  he  thought  of  the  stake  in  the  fiery  fray, 

With  Sheridan  twenty  miles  away! 

But  there's  a  road  from  Winchester  town, 

A  good  broad  highway  leading  down: 

And  there  thro'  the  flash  of  the  morning  light, 

A  steed  as  black  as  the  steeds  of  night 

Was  seen  to  pass,  as  with  eagle  flight, 

As  if  he  knew  the  terrible  need, 

He  stretched  away  with  the  utmost  speed: 

Hills  rose  and  fell,  but  his  heart  was  gay, 

With  Sheridan  fifteen  miles  away. 

Under  his  spurning  feet  the  road 

Like  an  arrowy  Alpine  river  flowed, 

And  the  landscape  flowed  awiy  behind, 

Like  an  ocean  flying  before  the  wind; 

And  the  steed,  like  a  bark  fed  with  furnace-ire, 

Swept  on  with  his  wild  eyes  full  of  fire ; 

But  lo!  he  is  nearing  his  heart's  desire, 

He  is  snuffing  the  smoke  of  the  roaring  fray, 

With  Sheridan  only  five  miles  away! 

The  first  that  the  General  saw  were  the  groups 

Of  stragglers,  and  then  the  retreating  troops; 

What  was  done— what  to  do— a  glance  told  him  both, 

And,  striking  hisspurs,  with  a  terrible  oath 

He  dashed  down  the  lines  'mid  a  storm  of  hurrahs, 

And  the  wave  of  retreat  checked  its  course  there,  because 

The  sight  of  the  master  compelled  it  to  pause. 

With  foam  and  with  dust  the  black  charger  was  gray; 

By  the  flash  of  his  eye  and  his  nostril's  play 

He  seemed  to  the  whole  great  army  to  say : 

"I've  brought  you  Sheridan  all  the  way 

From  Winchester  town  to  save  the  day  !  " 

Hurrah  !   hurrah  I   for  Sheridan  ! 

Hurrah  !   hurrah  !   for  horse  and  man  ! 

And  when  their  statues  are  placed  on  high, 

Under  the  dome  of  the  Union  sky— 

The  American  soldier's  temple  of  fame — 

There  with  the  glorious  general's  name 

Be  it  said,  in  letters  both  bold  and  bright, 

1 '  Here  is  the  steed  that  saved  the  day 

By  carrying  Sheridan  into  the  1'mht 

From  Winchester,  twenty  miles  away  !  " 


OLD   ABE   AT   CORINTH.  173 


OLD  ABE  AT  CORINTH. 

By  J.  H.  Whitney,  of  the  Twenty-First  Massachusetts. 

Above  the  lines  of  glistening  steel 
That  swiftly  into  buttle  wheel, 
Borne  bravely  up  by  loyal  hands, 
The  peerless  bird  of  freedom  stands, 

Beside  the  banner  of  the  free, 
A  sentinel  of  liberty; 
Before  the  host  arrayed  in  blue, 
A  living  symbol  of  the  true. 


Above  the  crash  and  angry  roar, 
Awhile  he  seeks  in  vain  to  soar; 
One  mighty  effort  more— and  see, 
The  fetters  break,  and  he  is  free ! 

Then  upward  toward  his  native  sky 
He  mounts,  and  with  prophetic  eye, 
Surveys  the  fearlul  scene  below, 
A  target  for  the  angry  foe. 


Unharmed,  he  sweeps  across  the  plain 
Of  fire  and  smoke  and  leaden  rain; 
Then  hovers  o'er  his  own  brave  men, 
As  if  to  cheer  them  on  again. 

O,  Eagle-King  !     Thou  hfidst  thy  part 
In  strengthening  the  nation's  heart, 
When  men  lost  faith,  and  treason  stood 
In  the  way  of  human  brotherhood. 

Heroes,  with  strength  arid  fortitude 
Thy  dauntless  spirit  hath  imbued, 
And  taught  the  land  from  sea  to  sea 
The  greatness  of  true  loyalty. 


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